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| IRISH SPORTS BODIES CALL ON GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT REMAINING SPORTS BUDGET |
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Irish sport has joined forces under the banner of the Federation of Irish Sports to call on the Government not to make any further reduction in funding for Irish sport. The Federation, which represents 64 sports and over 1.5 million people, has written to all politicians pointing out the consequences of reducing funding and particularly funding for the Irish Sports Council any further. Already some 35% has been wiped from overall government investment in sport for 2009 with suspension of the Sports Capital Programmes, the Local Authority Swimming Pool programme and uncertainty regarding the future of the National Sports Campus.
Calling on the Government to protect the remaining sports budget earlier today (Thursday, 2 April, 2009), Ms Sarah O’Connor, chief executive of the Federation of Irish Sports, said that it was particularly important that the Government made no further reduction into Irish Sports Council funding which has already been reduced by 8% over the 2008 level. “Any further reduction in this budget will undoubtedly have a major impact on sport at all levels from the grassroots right through to our elite sportsmen and sportswomen especially those with their sights set on the 2012 Olympics in London.”
She said that she was speaking on behalf of all of Irish sports including the major bodies such as the GAA, FAI and the IRFU, all of whom expressed their concern at the potential for long-term damage should funding be reduced. In particular she noted that any further reduction in the Sports Council funding could not be sustained without loss of jobs & expertise in the NGB sector and Local Sports Partnerships, a collapse in the sports development and participation programmes, significant reduction and/or elimination of the High Performance Programmes, loss of grant aid received by elite athletes, impacting on international performance including London 2012, reduction in access of local communities to sport & physical activity, & erosion of social capital provided by sport.
She said that the belief amongst all of the sporting organisations was that further reductions in funding could set Irish sports back ten years. “Irish Sport has progressed significantly in the last 10 years. There can be little doubt that much of this progress is attributable to the government investment in sport which only commenced with any significance in 1997. The reality is however that any further reduction in the funding available to the Irish Sports Council will result in much of this hard work and effort being undone resulting in the reduction in the availability of sport in local communities as well as impacting on the ability of our elite athletes to be the best that they can be.”
She said that in the appeal to the Government they had also pointed out the major role sport has to play both in terms of self esteem but also in the actual health of the nation.
“We have much to be proud of but sport is not just about national pride. It is even more important than that. Each year sport contributes more than €2 billion to our economy (ESRI Report).
And that again is only part of the story. Over one million people actively participate in sport on a regular basis and as worldwide research shows that has a hugely positive effort on the cost of health provision in this country. To put it in perspective research has shown in the US inactivity (non participation in any sporting activity) costs the country in excess of $70 billion annually in terms of spending on health. If the same model was to be applied in Ireland the cost to our health service is almost €1 billion”.
The Federation of Irish Sports is the representative body for the National Governing Bodies of Sport in Ireland and currently includes 64 different sporting bodies amongst its membership. For further information, please contact:-
Sarah O’Connor, Executive Director, The Federation of Irish Sports 01 625 1155 or Roddy Guiney, WHPR, 01 669 0030
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