The committee’s role will be to review and make recommendations on Performance Plans and Athlete Carding Scheme support to the board of the Irish Sports Council.
The role of the Committee was announced today along with 8.35 million euro for High Performance Sports by Minister of Sport Martin Cullen. The High Performance Committee chaired by Eamonn Coghlan includes experienced High Performance system personnel such as Ginny Elliot and Peter Banks (Performance Directors) and Olympic Council of Ireland and Paralympic CEO’s Stephen Martin and Liam Harbison.
The Performance Plans for each sport, devised and implemented by the Performance Directors, are the essential foundation of the high-performance system.
The plans consist of sport-specific elite campaigns from junior to world-class covering training camps, competition requirements, coaching, sports science & medical support and equipment requirements.
The plans are supplemented by additional support services provided by the Institutes of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Councils.
However more stringent performance rather than previous fiscal monitoring of spend is being introduced by the new committee.
Eamonn Coghlan, Chairman, High-Performance Committee, commented: ‘This investment plan will ensure that Ireland can compete with the best in the world and that Irish sport can produce a real return on our investment.’
He added, “Previously the athletes objective was to achieve the criteria, to get a few a quid. Now athletes will be monitored on a quarterly basis to ensure performance is progressing. If their not reaching their targets we will want to know why, whats going wrong, and provide support to address it ( rather than waiting a year)”
High Performance Committee member Stephen Martin OCI, believes that “Eamonn’s leadership of the new committee will play a key role in enhancing the system support by all agencies. Closer monitoring of performance plans and athlete performance will allow issues to be addressed more speedily.”
He added “The investment secured for sport is one thing , but the processes and structures need to be there to support the athletes and performance staff, to maximise the investment, and we all have a role to play in achieving this”
