Sport Ireland publishes its High Performance Strategy
Sport Ireland has today published its new High Performance Strategy 2021-2032, a long-term plan for the Irish high performance system over the next three Olympic and Paralympic cycles.
A robust and comprehensive period of consultation and research underpinned the development of the strategy, which sets out the ambition and vision for high performance sport in Ireland.
The strategy will be delivered in partnership with the broader high performance community and is based on the philosophy that athletes and the people who support them are at the heart of everything.
Sport Ireland has identified investment in coaching as the key to delivering its new High Performance Strategy and has appointed renowned athletics coach Stephen Maguire to lead a transformation of Irish coaching over the next 10 years.
The review of the Rio Games 2016 highlighted the importance of governance and the direct impact on performance. The strategy will place an emphasis on the governance of high performance programmes over the next period.
Globally, the lesson from high performance sport is that culture matters. The welfare of athletes and of everyone involved in high performance sport will be central to the strategy and no short cuts will be taken in order to achieve ambitious goals.
Sport Ireland has developed the Culture Evolution Programme, which will be expertly guided by John Donnelly. This programme will support national governing bodies as they seek to protect and maximise the experience of athletes, coaches and support staff.
Coinciding with the launch of the High Performance Strategy are advancements to the International Carding Scheme. This scheme, which provides direct funding to athletes, will see a number of positive changes, including an increase of award amounts, the introduction of a team funding model, security of funding in 2023 and 2024, and financial and service support for retiring athletes.
These welcomed advancements will ensure Ireland provides a world-leading and comprehensive support model to high performance athletes.
Costs
High performance sport will be further supported by the announcement of €1.3 million in funding in 2021 as part of round one of the High Performance Impact Funding Programme.
This fund will support NGBs with immediate and confirmed costs to high performance programmes specifically relating to the upcoming Olympic and Paralympic Games in Tokyo. Future rounds of HP Impact Funding for Paris 2024 will be delivered in quarters three and four of 2021.
NGBs have applied to Sport Ireland for funding where they have incurred costs relating to Tokyo 2020 (2021), which are beyond the scope of High Performance Programme funding and other performance programme resources.
The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin, welcomed the publication, commenting: “I am delighted to see the publication of this strategy and the vision and strategic direction for high performance sport in Ireland. The National Sports Policy 2018-2027 tasked Sport Ireland with developing a new long-term strategy for high performance sport, and this strategy clearly sets out challenging but achievable targets.
“A collaborative approach across the sector will be key to realising these targets and our athletes’ potential. This will be underpinned by significant and sustained investment from government. High performance sport has the power to inspire us all to lead active lifestyles and over the past year, the successes and performances of our athletes have boosted the nation when we needed it most. I look forward to seeing the impact of this ambitious strategy over the coming years.”
The chair of Sport Ireland’s High Performance Committee, Liam Sheedy, added: “Ireland can be proud of the achievements of our athletes over the course of the last number of years across a wide variety of sports. Equally, we can be proud of the progress made in the high performance system to ensure that the right structures and people are in place for this success to be realised.
“However, it is imperative that we continue to challenge and improve the system. The strategy sets out targets and clear actions across seven strategic areas which will have a positive impact on our sports and athletes.
On behalf of the High Performance Working Group, I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the development of this strategy and played a part in shaping the future of high performance sport in Ireland.”