Canoeing Ireland welcomes the recent announcement by Minister for Arts, Media, Communications, Culture and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan and Minister of State for Sport and Postal Policy, Charlie McConalogue of a record €27 million investment in High Performance sport through Sport Ireland for 2025.
The provision of multi-annual funding is a game-changer for our athletes and coaching teams, providing much-needed stability and allowing them to focus on long-term development and performance. This strategic approach ensures that our high-performance programmes can be planned with confidence, enhancing our athletes’ ability to reach their full potential.
Investment in high-performance paddle sport is not just about medals; it is about supporting our athletes holistically. This funding will allow Canoeing Ireland to further enhance the structures that prioritise athlete welfare, ensuring they have access to the best coaching, facilities, and support systems required to compete at the highest level while safeguarding their well-being.
We acknowledge the Government’s continued commitment to Irish sport and thank Sport Ireland for their unwavering support. We are particularly grateful for the significant increase in funding from the Paris Olympic cycle, which demonstrates a recognition of the successes of our Canoe Slalom Team at the Paris Games, and confidence in our ability to continue this rise. This uplift in investment will have a transformative impact on our athletes’ preparation and development, ensuring they are better equipped to compete on the world stage. The additional resources will allow us to further strengthen our high-performance structures and provide even greater support to our athletes and coaches.
As we build towards LA 2028, this investment is vital in giving our athletes the best possible chance to achieve their Olympic dreams and to inspire future generations of paddlers. Canoeing Ireland looks forward to working closely with Sport Ireland and our athletes to maximise the impact of this funding and to continue building on Ireland’s proud tradition of excellence in high-performance sport.
Outgoing Performance Director, Jon Mackey, paid tribute to Sport Irelands belief in the current trajectory of paddle sports –
‘Canoeing Ireland wishes to acknowledge the vital role of Sport Ireland in securing key high performance funding for 2025. This support is crucial for sports like ours, where targeted investment, aligned with a shared vision, enables high performance programmes to pursue and achieve their performance potential on the international stage. We are proud to work in close collaboration with Sport Ireland to drive continued progress and success for Irish canoeing.’
