FUND WILL SUPPORT SUCCESSFUL TEAM IRELAND OLYMPIC HOPEFULS
€50,000 Grant for Irish Athletes on their Olympic Journey
The Olympic Federation of Ireland, in conjunction with official sponsor FBD Insurance, have announced the recipients of the ‘Make A Difference’ programme, a €50,000 fund which will assist Ireland’s Olympic hopefuls in their preparation for the Olympic Games.
Among the recipients announced today were Irish international sprinter, Phil Healy and Irish international swimmer, Brendan Hyland. Phil Healy holds the 100m & 200m Irish Record and 200m Indoor Irish Record and will be hoping to take her great form into 2021 as she attempts to qualify for this year’s Olympic Games. Dublin man and Irish international swimmer, Brendan Hyland is another Team Ireland hopeful looking to make waves in Tokyo this summer.
The full list of recipients is Paul Pollock (Athletics), Phil Healy (Athletics), Brendan Doyle (Skeleton), Nhat Nguyen (Badminton) , George Bates (Boxing), Aidan Walsh (Boxing), Ceire Smith (Boxing), Carly McNaul (Boxing), Noel Hendrick (Canoeing), Equestrian Team (3 Disciplines), Megan Ryan (Gymnastics), Sive Brassil (Pentathlon), Margaret Cremen (Rowing), Aoife Casey (Rowing), Lydia Heaphy (Rowing), Cormac Comerford (Snow Sports), Nicholas Quinn (Swimming), Brendan Hyland (Swimming), David Phelan (Taekwondo), Leroy Dilandu (Taekwondo).
In December, long list athletes in collaboration with their National Federation were invited to apply for a share of the FBD Make a Difference fund. The fund is specifically aimed at prospective members of Team Ireland who are likely to compete in the Olympic Games and who are not recipients of the Sport Ireland Podium or World Class funding.
FBD Insurance is the primary sponsor of Team Ireland, supporting Team Ireland athletes on their Olympic journey. This funding aims to impact the athletes’ daily performance environment, providing additional supports such as travel to training and competition, coaching costs, or sports science and medical support.
FBD Make a Difference Recipient, Phil Healy said:
“I’m absolutely thrilled to be selected as one of the beneficiaries of the FBD Make A Difference programme. It’s always been a dream of mine to compete at an Olympics Games and hopefully I can achieve this dream later this summer. This support as part of the FBD Make a Difference programme will help to further assist my preparations.”
FBD Make a Difference Recipient, Brendan Hyland added:
“Representing Ireland at the Olympics is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m incredibly grateful to FBD and the Olympic Federation of Ireland for their kind support through the FBD Make a Difference Programme. This support will help with my preparation as I prepare for my qualification events.”
Speaking at the announcement, Head of Marketing at FBD Insurance Aileen Donoghue said:
“As proud sponsors of Team Ireland, we are delighted to offer this support to Ireland’s athletes as they look to excel on the international stage. The commitment, determination and skill of Team Ireland athletes inspire us each and every day and we are honoured that we can give back to them through the FBD Make a Difference Programme. We hope that this additional funding will help all these athletes achieve their goals in this coming year.”
Commercial Director with the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Catherine Tiernan added:
“The support that FBD Insurance has afforded Team Ireland is incredible and the Make A Difference fund is another example of that. The financial commitments that amateur athletes face in their pursuit of sporting excellence can be very challenging. This programme will help to cover some of the daily expenses our athletes face in their preparation and training. We hope that this fund makes a difference for our Team Ireland athletes on their road to Tokyo 2020, and we would once again like to thank FBD Insurance for making this possible.”
See the full list of recipients HERE
