The Irish Sports Council (ISC) today published a two-year plan development centred on the provision of an institute for the country's elite athletes.
The strategy 'Building Sport for Life' outlines the ISC's development objectives for the next 24 months. Launched by the Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue in Dublin today, the plan also sets specific targets for increased participation in sport by both children and adults.
The ISC wants to see a 3 per cent rise in the number of children participating in sport with a 1.5 per cent rise among adults involved in sporting activity.
Mr O'Donoghue said that after carefully considering the ISC's case for an Irish Institute of Sport, the Government made available €1 million for the essential initial work of the Institute.
The Minister also said that the ISC's local sports partnerships network will be complete within three years. "They will make essential contribution to reaching the Council's ambitious targets for increasing the participation rates of adults and children in sport in Ireland", he said.
The Council has also recommended that its anti-doping programme become an independent agency from 2009
"By the end of 2006, this Government will have invested more that €900 million directly into sport since 1997, to support the development of a new sporting infrastructure.
"The budget for the Irish Sports Council has increased from €13.2 million in 2000, its first full year of operation, to €40.9 million in 2006 and in all the Council has received since its inception almost €200 million," Mr O'Donoghue said.