From Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media
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The Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan, and the Minister of State for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue, have today paid tribute to Team Ireland athletes, following a historic European Indoor Championships in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. Sarah Healy secured a gold medal in the 3000m, while Mark English and Kate O’Connor took bronze in the 800m and Pentathlon respectively.
Minister O’Donovan said:
“I want to offer my warmest congratulations to Sarah Healy, who ran a stunning race to secure Ireland’s first gold medal at the European Indoor Athletics Championships since David Gillick in 2007. Heartfelt congratulations also go to medallists Mark English and Kate O’Connor, as well as the entire team. All of our high-performance athletes can be proud of their achievements, with many setting new personal best times and Irish records. This remarkable team performance underscores the importance of our investment in high-performance sport.”
Minister McConalogue said:
“It has been a brilliant championships in Apeldoorn for Team Ireland, and I want to pay tribute to Sarah, Mark and Kate, who have seen the tricolour raised in their honour from the podium. Sarah Healy displayed remarkable composure to kick on and win the 3000m, while Mark English became a five-time European medallist with his bronze in the 800m. Kate O’Connor’s pentathlon medal makes her the first Irish athlete ever to reach the podium in a senior multi-sport event. It was a memorable final day in Apeldoorn, and I wish all of our athletes the best of luck, as many of them look to the World Indoor Championships in Dubai.”
As detailed in the National Sports Policy 2018 – 2027, planning for the future development of sport in Ireland is a high priority for the government.
The policy framework now in place for high performance sport in Ireland compares favourably with similar programmes throughout the world and continues to prove its value. For the entire Paris Cycle, covering the period 2021-2024, a total of €89 million was invested by the government and Sport Ireland. This was €30 million, or over 50%, more than for the Tokyo cycle. The government continue to deliver on the funding commitments and objectives of the National Sports Policy 2018-2027, as well as the High Performance Strategy 2021-2032, with Budget 2025 having allocated over €230 million for sport.
As announced at the recent Core Investment announcement, Athletics Ireland received €1,270,000 in core funding from the department and Sport Ireland in 2025. This brings the total core funding received by Athletics Ireland to €7,730,000 since 2019.
In 2024 Athletics Ireland received €841,666 in High Performance Programme funding from Sport Ireland. This brings to €3,365,000 that Athletics Ireland has received in High Performance Funding over the Paris quadrennial cycle (2021-2024).
High Performance athletes are funded in Ireland under the Sport Ireland International Carding Scheme. The International Carding Scheme provides financial support to athletes for their training and competition programmes. In 2024, Sport Ireland allocated €4,400,000 under the scheme. This supported 123 athletes and nine relays/ pool funding in 16 sports, including the three medallists from Apeldoorn, who were funded at Podium or World Class level.