BOXER CASH IS RING-FENCED

BY

IRELAND’S successful High Performance boxing programme won’t have its funding axed if the sport is not featured at the LA Olympics in four years time.

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association will receive €965,000 from Sport Ireland this year, bringing the total in this three year Olympic cycle to €3.5m.

But if Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport is not present at LA 2028 the tap won’t not be turned off.

“That’s not how we would view it,” said Paul Mcdermott, Sport Ireland’s Director of High Performance.

“We would certainly give them the opportunity to be back for the next Olympics or future Olympics, there would certainly be European and World championships.

“It wouldn’t be the High Performance view that you would be looking at that type of cliff-edge, that if boxing was out of LA they would be gone.”

Four boxers are on the top podium level funding of €40,000 – Kellie Harrington (right), Aoife O’rourke, Caitlin Fryers and Jack Marley – with 13 in total on the international carding scheme this year, while others are also availing of the €100,000 pool funding received.

Sport Ireland will continue to monitor the civil war between the International Boxing Association and its new rival World Boxing in terms of where the sport is headed.

But Mcdermott says that nuclear option won’t be triggered unless the sport’s future is at risk.

“I don’t think that’s the correct message but obviously if the international boxing situation continues to be in trouble it does have implications,” he cautioned.

“I mean, it limits the ability to invest over time if the long term future of boxing is not secured.

“But that wouldn’t be the way we would approach it (instantly cutting off the funding).”