Sports Council unveils 2014 funding for nine Irish cyclists; €12,000 to €40,000 each

A surprisingly small number of Olympians and Paralympians from London 2012 have secured top level Irish Sports Council €40,000 funding this year, but cyclist and London double gold medallist Mark Rohan is one of them.

Some nine cyclists were today awarded high performance grants under the Irish Sports Council’s 2014 International Carding Scheme.

The scheme this year sees 85 athletes from 15 different sports provided with direct financial assistance to the tune of almost €1.6m in total.

Of those 85 athletes, just nine Olympic and nine Paralympic athletes attained the highest amount of funding obtainable; the ‘Podium’ level of €40,000.

World scratch race champion Martyn Irvine is one of those Olympic athletes to receive Podium level funding this year, alongside the Irish Olympic boxing team of Katie Taylor, Joe Ward, Michael Conlon, Paddy Barnes and Jason Quigley, world race walk champion Rob Heffernan, sailor Analise Murphy and triathlete Aileen Reid.

Of the Paralympic nine, cycling duo Mark Rohan and Colin Lynch will also receive ‘Podium’ funding to the tune of €40,000.

Katie George Dunleavy and Caroline Ryan both receive €20,000 in funding at ‘World Class’ level while a quartet of Ryan Mullen, Eoin Mullen, James Brown and Enda Smyth all receive international funding of €12,000.

For the first time this year, Athletics Ireland, Swim Ireland and the Irish Sailing Association took over the management of the scheme for their own athletes in an effort to provide a more integrated high performance system.

More national bodies are expected to be given leeway by the Irish Sports Council to do the same in the future.

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"The Irish Sports Council is very pleased with the process of transition of the Carding Scheme into the three sports," said chief John Treacy.

"It opens the way for more sports to take over the carding in 2015."

Minister of State for Tourism and Sport Michael Ring said the Government’s support of the athletes did not stop at funding them.

"This substantial investment will support out most talented sports people who represented Ireland so well in 2012 and 2013. In addition to the direct investment, athletes will have access to science, medicine and lifestyle support services at the Institute of Sport".

Ranked No 1 in the world in the pursuit and the winner of a bronze medal in that event at a World Cup last year - the first UCI World Cup medal ever by an Irish woman; Caroline Ryan strangely did not meet the criteria for top funding.