Irish Sports Council announce athlete funding for 2016...

A few weeks back, the Irish Sports Council announced the following grants for Irish athletes....

NGB Applicant Category Recommendation

2016 Total...Athletics Ireland... 

Robert Heffernan... Podium €40,000...(2015 = €40k, 2014 = €40k, 2013 = €40k, 2012 = €40k).

Fionnuala McCormack... World Class €20,000....(2015 = €20k, 2014 = €20k, 2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k)

Ciaran O'Lionaird... World Class €20,000...(2015 = €20k, 2014 = €12k, 2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k).

Mark English... World Class €20,000...(2015 = €20k, 2014 = €12k, 2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).

Paul Robinson... World Class €20,000...(2015 = €20k, 2014 = €12k, 2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).

Thomas Barr... World Class €20,000...(2015 = €20k, 2014 = €0k, 2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k)

Mens 4x4 Relay... World Class €20,000...New

Brian Gregan... International €12,000...(2015 = €12k, 2014 = €12k, 2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).

Brendan Boyce... International €12,000...(2015 = €12k, 2014 = €12k, 2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).

Alex Wright... International €12,000...New

Ciara Everard... International €12,000...New

Ciara Mageean... International €12,000 (2015 = €12k)

Total €220,000

The funding levels are usually based on the performance of previous years as opposed to just 2016.


https://www.irishsportscouncil.ie/High_Performance/Carding-/june.pdf

Irish Sports Monitor Report shows rise in numbers running

The Irish Sports Council released a report yesterday outlining the participation levels of Irish people in sport. For it, a telephone interview with 4,292 people was conducted between May and October of 2015.

The term 'sport' here is a pretty wide brush as it covers a very wide range of activities. Some of the key findings are...

1) A decline in participation in 'sport' from 48.0% in 2013 to 46.3% in 2015. This is in contrast to constant increases in previous reports.

They make this comment on the drop..." In previous reports it was hypothesised that the economic downturn might have contributed to increased levels of physical activity. With improvements in the economic situation more recently, and increasing levels of employment, the converse may now apply with those returning to work, and leading busier lifestyles, possibly sacrificing some of their sporting activity."

2) The number of people running went from 8.4% to 8.8%. This represents an almost 5% rise in number of people running. In terms of the poll, this would an increase from 361 to 378 people who answered 'running'.

The most popular sport is 'Exercise' but this is a very wide field. It includes going to the gym, fitness classes and more. In terms of defined activities, running is now the most popular activity at 8.8%.

As for why the drop in swimming?...or dancing! :o))

The one advantage running has as a sport is that it can be done in a short space of time. Get changed...out the door...run...home...shower and get changed. Contrast that to some activities which you can't do from home and you have to spend time traveling to and from a venue.

Another interesting graphic is the breakdown by age...

 I suspect the high levels in the 16-19 age group might be explained by students in secondary schools doing PE classes. The rest...20 and above....show declining activity with age as I'd guess is to be expected.

It is though in marked contrast to those who run on a regular basis as seen from race participation levels. There are relatively very low numbers of people under the age of 25 running while the peak in the age of people running tends to come from the 35-44 year old group.

The full report can be seen here... http://www.irishsportscouncil.ie/Media/Latest_News/ISM-Mid-Year-Report.pdf

Media Briefing Of New World Class High Performance Training Centre in Dublin

Various media sources were shown yesterday around the new €4million High Performance Training Centre at the Irish Institute of Sport in Dublin. The Centre, based on the National Sport Campus will provide a World Class Training and Support Environment where Irish high performance athletes, coaches and support staff train, meet and exchange expertise.

The Centre also features a 4 lane indoor 130m track with performance analysis equipment, integrated long jump and a fully equipped world class physical conditioning area.

Chief Executive of Sport Ireland, John Treacy said..."I am delighted to see the new High Performance Training Centre come on stream as we look towards Rio and beyond. As part of the investment, we consulted intensively with athletes, coaches, performance directors and specialists across the team to consider design, layout and equipment based on our sports current needs and also to ensure future proofing this support environment."

VIDEO: High Performance Training Centre at the Irish Institute of Sport, Dublin @jacquihurley #rtesport https://t.co/X5wT32Wl5V

— RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) January 7, 2016

For more info, see...
a) Press release from the Irish Sports Council
b) The 42.ie news item

Athletics Ireland announce 2015 grants for Irish athletes...

Athletics Ireland has just released a list of athletes who qualify for grants from the Irish Sports Council for 2015.

The selected athletes are...
Robert Heffernan Podium (€40k)...(2014 = €40k, 2013 = €40k, 2012 = €40k).
Fionnuala Britton World Class (€20k)....(2014 = €20k, 2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k)
Ciarán Ó Lionáird World Class (€20K)...(2014 = €12k, 2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k).
Mark English World Class (€20K)...(2014 = €12k, 2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).
Paul Robinson World Class (€20K)...(2014 = €12k, 2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).
Thomas Barr World Class (€20k)...(2014 = €0k, 2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k)
Brian Gregan International (€12K)...(2014 = €12k, 2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).
Laura Reynolds International (€12K)...(2014 = €12k, 2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).
Brendan Boyce International (€12K)...(2014 = €12k, 2013 = €12k, 2012 = €12k)
Alex Wright International (€12k)...(Recently declared for Ireland having represented Britain before).

Those who got grants in 2014 and will get nothing in 2015 are...Jessie Barr (400m hurdles), Rose-Anne Galligan (800m) and Derval O'Rourke (now retired).

In 2014, one person got €40k, one got €20k and nine got €12k.
In 2015, it's one €40k, five €20k and four €12k.


As you can see above, this is a marked increase with 5 now on €20k as opposed to just one last year.

Considering that Rob Heffernan is the current 50km race walking world champion, he was always guaranteed to get the maximum amount.
Fionnuala Britton won the European Cross Country Championhips in 2011 and 2012 as well as finishing 3rd in the European Indoor 3000m in Sweden in 2013. She also led the Irish team to a team Bronze at the European Cross Country Championships last December.
Ciarán Ó Lionáird was cut last year from €20k to €12k despite winning a bronze medal in the 3000m at the European Indoor Championships in March 2013. He now moves back up to €20k.
Mark English who won a Silver medal in the 800m at the recent European Indoor Championships moves up to €20k also.
2014 was a breakthrough year for both Paul Robinson and Thomas Barr as they improved their performance times significantly. They both move up to €20k.

One of those who got a grant for €12k was racewalker Brendan Boyce. At a recent 50k race in the Slovak Republic, he finished just behind Rob Heffernan for a new PB. If he can put in a performance like that in a major championships then he should be another one on track for an increase next year.

Previous posts...
2014 grants
2013 grants
2012 grants
2011 grants

Irish Sports Council launch new Anti Doping awareness campaign, #BlackMark.

The Irish Sports Council recently launched a new Anti Doping awareness campaign called #BlackMark. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the Anti Doping programme and promote the message of clean sport.




John Treacy, CEO, Irish Sports Council, said "The Irish Sports Council is proud of our collaborations with our international colleagues and intelligence agencies on doping activities and trends so that we can ensure that our Programme continues to be one of the best anti-doping programmes in the world"

Athletics Ireland announce 2014 grants for Irish athletes...

Athletics Ireland has just released a list of athletes who qualify for grants from the Irish Sports Council for 2014. The criteria is based on..."their performances at major championships and their ability to deliver medal opportunities in the future".

The selected athletes are...
Robert Heffernan Podium (€40k)...(2013 = €40k, 2012 = €40k).
Fionnuala Britton World Class (€20k)....(2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k)
Ciarán Ó Lionáird International (€12K)...(2013 = €20k, 2012 = €20k).
Derval O’Rourke International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €40k).
Jessie Barr International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0).
Brian Gregan International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).
Laura Reynolds International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €0k).
Brendan Boyce International (€12K)...(2013 = €12k, 2012 = €12k)
Mark English International (€12K)...(2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).
Paul Robinson International (€12K)...(2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).
Rose-Anne Galligan International (€12K)...(2013 = €0k, 2012 = €0k).

Those who got grants in 2013 and will get nothing in 2014 are...Tori Pena (Pole Vault), Linda Byrne (Marathon & Cross Country), Mark Kenneally (Marathon), Ava Hutchinson (Marathon & Cross Country) and Caitriona Jennings (Marathon).

In 2013, one person got €40k, three got €20k and ten got €12k.
In 2014, it's one €40k, one €20k and nine €12k.

Considering that Rob Heffernan is the current 50km race walking world champion, he was always guaranteed to get the maximum amount. Fionnuala Britton won the European Cross Country Championhips in 2011 and 2012 as well as finishing 3rd in the European Indoor 3000m in Sweden last year. She also has a very good chance of getting a podium finish at the next European Cross in December.

Two athletes who may feel particularly hard done by are Ciarán Ó Lionáird and Derval O'Rourke. Ciarán won a bronze medal in the 3000m at the European Indoor Championships last March. Derval finished 4th in the 60m hurdles at the same championships and may potentially be moved up to bronze as the Turkish athlete Nevin Yanit tested positve for taking banned substances later in the year.

While the European Indoors may not be 'world class', it is still a major championships. Winning a medal there is a pretty major achievement for any athlete. In fairness to some of the others getting the €12k grant, several of them are unlikely to ever get to a standard of a European podium finish and it just seems unfair to have Ó Lionáird and O'Rourke at the same level. Surely any athlete that gets a podium finish at any major athletics championships should expect to get at least the higher grant of €20k the following year?

This is from Ciarán Ó Lionáird's Twitter account...
"You wonder why kids in Ireland don't want to do athletics? Medal and you're cut. What does that tell young dreamers? Terrible message."
"Despite a Euro Indoor medal and fastest indoor 1500 in Europe in 2013, I've been cut by 40pc in @irishathletics funding. No words really."

2014 Grants for Irish Paralympic athletes
Podium (€40,000) – Michael McKillop, Jason Smyth, Orla Barry
International (€12,000) – Catherine O’Neill, Heather Jameson, Deirdre Mongon, Nadine Lattimore, John McCarthy.

Previous posts...
2013 grants
2012 grants
2011 grants

Irish Sports Council announce 2013 Athletics grants

The Irish Sports Council have just announced their grants to athletes for 2013. This time around, Rob Heffernan is the only person to secure the maximum €40,000 grant while Derval O'Rourke drops down to €12,000.

2013 Funding
€40,000 - Podium : Robert Heffernan Athletics
€20,000 - World Class : Ciaran O'Lionard Athletics, Deirdre Ryan, Fionnuala Britton
€12,000 - International : Brendan Boyce, Tori Pena, Derval O'Rourke, Linda Byrne, Mark Kenneally, Brian Gregan, Laura Reynolds, Ava Hutchinson, Caitriona Jennings, Jessie Barr

2012 Funding
€40,000 – Podium: Olive Loughnane, Derval O'Rourke, Robert Heffernan, David Gillick
€20,000 - World Class: Ciaran O'Lionard, Deirdre Ryan, Fionnuala Britton, Paul Hession
€12,000 - International: Alistair Cragg, Stephanie Reilly, Linda Byrne, Mark Kenneally, Brendan Boyce, Joe Sweeney, Ciara Mageean, Joanne Cuddihy, Ava Hutchison

Irish Sports Council release their activity report...

Last Wednesday the 11th of July 2012, the Irish Sports Council released their latest report which outlines the public participation (aged 16+) in sporting activities.

The full report can be seen HERE

Here are a few snippets from it.....
1) The survey was conducted in 2011 and 8749 people were interviewed.
2) 6 in 10 Irish adults are obese or overweight.
3) Between 2009 and 2011, participation in sport increase from 34% to 46%. Note that the definition for a 'sport' includes walking, dancing, etc.
4) Individual sports show stronger rises in participation than team sports, most notably running and cycling.
5) The most popular sport was recreational walking. Running increased from 5th to 3rd.
6) Biggest barrier to participation was a lack of time.
7) Volunteering for sport increased from 7% to 15%.

"Personal exercise (which is predominantly accounted for by gym activities) is now the most popular sport in Ireland, regaining the position it lost in the 2008 survey. The other notable change is that running, which was  consistently the fifth most popular sport, now becomes the third most popular sport. In the case of the latter, increased participation levels  would  be expected for this  sport,
both in terms of recreational running (as has been reported anecdotally with the claimed emergence of another running boom in Ireland), as well as competitive running (for example,  events  such as  the Dublin  Marathon  reporting considerable increases in entrants in recent years). Initiatives such as the Meet & Train programmes through the Local Sports Partnership network and also the An  Post  Cycle  Series  are  also  likely to  have made  a contribution to  the increases seen in running and cycling.

A further  key difference between  the two  surveys  is  the number of sports identified on the survey. In  order  to  quantify the full spectrum  of sporting behaviour, respondents could  identify up to three sports that they had participated in  within  the previous  seven days. In  the 2011 survey, 17% identified more than one sport compared to 7% in the 2009 survey. As a result, not only are there more respondents identifying that they participate in sport but also those participating in sport are identifying more sports that they participate in. The impact of this on participation levels for specific sports is considerable,  both  in  terms  of popular  sports  (as detailed above)  and  minority sports  (the 2011 survey identifies 47 individual sports as having participation levels of less than 1%, 14 of which are not identified in the 2009 survey)."

"A number of sports  stand out as  being more  popular  amongst  higher socioeconomic groups. Running is particularly noteworthy in this regard and a strong contrast exists between the higher AB social group and the lower C2 and DE social groups in terms of their likelihood to participate in this activity, with the latter groups being less likely to participate. It is unlikely to be any income effect
that is driving this, as running also has lower barriers of entry when compared to many other sports, and indicates the potential to broaden the base of running in Ireland, and in turn increase the levels of physical activity at an overall level."

Club membership.....

It's worth pointing out of course that a lot of people that run do not take part in any type of road race. Still though, it shows that a lot of people find no reason to join an athletic club.

"In order to maximise this opportunity, clubs will need to demonstrate to newer participants  in  sport how their involvement in  a  club will facilitate  them in meeting their objectives from the sport. Key to doing this will be ensuring that the club environment is managed in such a way that has a suitable focus on newcomers and proactive recruitment of potential members at relevant events.
In doing so, clubs need to ensure that their structures recognise and can adapt to  the lifestyle  factors  that may be driving the increased desire  for  individual sports (for  example, flexibility in  training schedules  and  times). Addressing these  issues  will require  clubs  to  work in  collaboration with  potential new members."

Irish Times piece on athletes funding...

A few days ago, I had a post about the funding given to Irish athletes in 2012 from the Irish Sports Council. In Saturday's Irish Times, Ian O'Riordan writes an article arguing that the athletes are more focused on the money that they might get rather than the medals the might win.

To me, the article seems a bit harsh in that many athletes are getting relatively small grants considering the amount of time they spend training and competing. Is it reasonable to expect them to represent their country without any financial assistance from the state? The Irish Times article can be seen HERE

Irish Sports Council announce athlete funding for 2012...

The Irish Sports Council have announced their funding grants for Irish athletes in 2012....

€40,000 – Podium: Olive Loughnane, Derval O'Rourke, Robert Heffernan, David Gillick

€20,000 - World Class: Ciaran O'Lionard, Deirdre Ryan, Fionnuala Britton, Paul Hession

€12,000 - International: Alistair Cragg, Stephanie Reilly, Linda Byrne, Mark Kenneally, Brendan Boyce, Joe Sweeney, Ciara Mageean, Joanne Cuddihy, Ava Hutchison

Ailis McSweeney, Thomas Chamney, Mary Cullen, Kelly Proper, Colin Griffin and David Campbell all lost theirs grants, though the first three could be restored quickly if they pass upcoming medicals.

It looks however as if these grants will be most likely be cut in future years once the London Olympics are over. The chairman of the Irish Sports Council John Treacy said his organisation is expecting a 5 per cent cut in funding next year and it may also be hit with a further five per cent cut the following year. This follows a series of cuts to the overall sports budget. 

It might be worth pointing out that many of those listed above are not full time athletes. Besides trying to train as if they were full time athletes, they have jobs as well. In that context, the grants are welcome but by no means huge. And of course, the more successful an athlete is, the more they get. Fionnuala Britton moved up to €20,000 after her Eurpean Cross Country win last December. Mark Kenneally and Linda Byrne get grants after running qualifying time for the Olympic Marathon.

The most recent person to qualify was Ava Hutchinson when she ran 2:35:33 in Houston, Texas last January. Not only did that qualify her for the Olympics and a €12,000 grant but she also won $4,000 by finishing 4th in the race. Often a little success can make things so much easier. Not mentioned above of course are those who have been trying hard but are just on the other side of the line. Those that get no grants. There was article recently in the Irish Independent titled 'It can be a dark place at times' which gives an idea of what it might be like for those just out of the limelight.

Martin Fagan gets official 2 year ban for taking EPO...

Following on from the breaking news story last weekend, Irish Marathon runner Martin Fagan was as expected, suspended on Tuesday for two years by Athletics Ireland after he admitted using banned performance-enhancing drugs. The 28-year-old from Mullingar tested positve for the blood-boosting drug erythropoietin (EPO).during an out-of-competition test at his training base in the United States last month. He admitted at a hearing in Dublin that he had bought EPO on the internet and administered it himself ahead of a planned appearance at last weekend's Houston Marathon last Sunday (January 15).

Athletics Ireland and the Irish Sports Council made the following announcement...."The Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel has determined that Martin Fagan, an athlete affiliated to Athletics Ireland, has committed an anti-doping rule violation. The Panel found that, contrary to Article 2.1 of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules, Mr Fagan, tested positive for the presence of a prohibited substance or its metabolite or marker, recombinant erythropoietin, in a sample of his urine collected on behalf of the Irish Sports Council during out of competition testing at Tucson, Arizona on the 10th December 2011. Mr Fagan has been sanctioned, subject to his right to appeal within 14 days, by the imposition on him of a period of ineligibility for two years. The Panel has decided that because of the prompt admission of the violation by Mr Fagan the appropriate commencement date for the period of ineligibility is 10th December 2011, the date on which the sample was collected."

Ian O'Riordan of the Irish Times has a piece about it HERE

Cliona Foley of the Irish Independent has a more critical article HERE

Since this story broke last weekend, there has been a lot of reaction to it on various websites. Some people have been sympathetic to Martin Fagan and his fight with depression, some have been outrightly hostile to him over his taking of EPO while others believe perhaps naively that he will serve the two year ban and all will be well again.

Once an athlete takes a performance-enhancing drug, they have crossed the Rubicon, there is no turning back. The ban might be for two years but the damage is permanent. I would suspect that if you were to talk privately to the powers that be within Athletics Ireland or the Irish Sports Council, they would probably say that they genuinely wish Martin Fagan all the best for the future, that he gets help and gets his personal life sorted out. However when it comes to athletics, they would hope that he would retire from the sport and fade away.

Irish Sports Council Report...18th Feb 2009

There was a piece on the Irish Examiner today proclaiming that 'half the population is active in sport'. Half ??....maybe I'm being a little bit cynical here but as far as I can see, most Irish adults do absolutely nothing.

It turns out the information for the article came from a report that has just been released by the Irish Sports Council. In it, there are a few interesting facts. Such as...

• 32% of adults are members of sports clubs
• Personal exercise activities (going to the gym, fitness classes, exercise machines etc.) are now the most popular sport and exercise activity in Ireland, followed by swimming
• Combining volunteering, membership and attendance, Gaelic games remain the leading sports for social participation, but there are now more gym members than GAA members
• 58% went for a recreational walk of at least 20 minutes during the previous 7 days

I presume it is the last one that led to the original claim in the Irish Examiner about half the population being involved in sport. It would seem as if they are counting 'casual walking' as a sport. Even allowing for this, I still think the numbers are a 'bit' high.

You can read the report in full HERE.

Comments...???