Irish Sailing are pleased to receive continued support from Sport Ireland for our High Performance Programme in 2022 with a budget of €800,000 each year from now until the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. Individual carding support for the Irish Sailing Team athletes has increased due to their successful performances last year. We continue to work closely with Sport Ireland to help us meet the challenges of implementing the recommendations from the Tokyo Olympic Report.

The Sport Ireland funding will support the full Performance Pathway Programme which, as well as the senior team, identifies six classes as the best to facilitate progression: 420, Topper, ILCA 4 (Laser 4.7), ILCA 6 (Laser Radial), Optimists and 29ers with 213 of these young sailors competing at the recent Irish Sailing Youth National Championships.

2021 was a very successful year for the Irish Sailing Team with a silver medal for Finn Lynch at the Laser World Championships in November – the highest level achieved by an Irish sailor in this competition. In the 49er Robert Dickson and Seán Waddilove won two races at their first Olympic Games in Tokyo leaving them well positioned for the Paris Games, and finished the year in 8th place at the 49er World Championships in Oman. Teenager Eve McMahon won the ILCA 6 (Laser Radial) Youth World Championships as well as silver at the U21 ILCA 6 European Championships.

Newly appointed chair of the Irish Sailing Olympic Steering Group and former Olympian John Menton commented “Both the strategic and long-term thinking of Sport Ireland, and the vital support from the Irish Sailing Foundation are key to the Irish Sailing Team maintaining their success on the international stage and continuing to bring home medals for Ireland. This is a very young team and their success last year points to a very bright future, and one that we are all very excited about”.

Full Sport Ireland High Performance Sport Investment 2022 report HERE