AmateurHeadline News

Individual grants for Irish amateur boxers announced


The individual funding for Irish amateur boxers in 2018 has today been revealed.

On top of grants given to both the IABA and the High Performance Unit, Sport Ireland also provides a number of individual athletes with personal grants under their carding scheme

This year 10 Irish boxers have received grants from the state body, totaling €172,000. This is an increase of €40,000 from last year.

Following World silver and European gold, Joe Ward remains Irish boxing’s sole recipient of the ‘Podium’-level €40,000 grant.

World silver medalist Kelly Harrington remains on a €20,000 ‘World Class’ grant and is joined at this level by 2017 European bronze medalists Brendan Irvine and new addition Kurt Walker

At the €12,000 ‘International’ level there is a renewal for European bronze medalist Christina Desmond while EU gold and bronze medalists Michaela Walsh and Gráinne Walsh also are added to this tier.

Additionally, at ‘International’ level, teenage talents Kieran Molloy and Michael Nevin have been added to the system – some welcome pre-emptive funding, while the hugely talented Sean McComb, who was unlucky in the European quarter-finals, also gets €12,000

Last year, six fighters were funded. The now-pro Davey Oliver Joyce and Ballymena middleweight Steven Donnelly have this year lost their funding while Molloy, Nevin, McComb, Walker, and the two Walshes have been added to the programme.

In individual carded athlete terms, with €172,000 across ten fighters, Irish boxers are the fifth best-funded Irish sportspeople behind track and field athletes (€708,000 across 30 athletes), cyclists (€250,000 across 13 athletes), swimmers (€244,000 across 15 athletes), and rowers (€212,000 across 9 athletes and one team).

In terms of more structural and general funding, last month it was announced that the IABA itself would receive €1,132,000 in total. A core grant of €432,000 along with a further €700,000 for the High Performance Unit.

Last year, Ireland won a total of 29 major international medals at all age groups (5 gold, 7 silver, 17 bronze).

While this year has seen an increase in fighters receiving funding, it is still a long way off from the heyday of 2010 where 44 boxers (27 senior, 17 underage) divvied out €565,583.

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Joe O'Neill

Reporting on Irish boxing the past five years. Work has appeared on irish-boxing.com, Boxing News, the42.ie, and local and national media. Provide live ringside updates, occasional interviews, and special features on the future of Irish boxing. email: joneill6@tcd.ie

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