RECIPIENTS OF THE FBD INSURANCE ‘MAKE A DIFFERENCE’ PROGRAMME ANNOUNCED

High-Performance Athletes, Margaret Cremen, Lydia Heaphy and Aoife Casey have been selected to receive additional funding through the programme.

The Olympic Federation of Ireland, in conjunction with official sponsor FBD Insurance, have announced the recipients of the ‘Make A Difference’ programme, a €50,000 fund which will assist Ireland’s Olympic hopefuls in their preparation for the Olympic Games.

The full list of recipients is Paul Pollock (Athletics), Phil Healy (Athletics), Brendan Doyle (Bobsleigh), Nhat Nguyen (Badminton) , George Bates (Boxing), Aidan Walsh (Boxing), Ceire Smith (Boxing), Carly McNaul (Boxing), Noel Hendrick (Canoeing), Equestrian Team (3 Disciplines), Megan Ryan (Gymnastics), Sive Brassil (Pentathlon), Margaret Cremen (Rowing), Aoife Casey (Rowing), Lydia Heaphy (Rowing), Cormac Comerford (Snow Sports), Nicholas Quinn (Swimming), Brendan Hyland (Swimming), David Phelan (Taekwondo), Leroy Dilandu (Taekwondo).

In December, long list athletes in collaboration with their National Federation were invited to apply for a share of the FBD Make a Difference fund. The fund is specifically aimed at prospective members of Team Ireland who are likely to compete in the Olympic Games and who are not recipients of the Sport Ireland Podium or World Class funding.

Commercial Director with the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Catherine Tiernan added:

“The support that FBD Insurance has afforded Team Ireland is incredible and the Make A Difference fund is another example of that. The financial commitments that athletes face in their pursuit of sporting excellence can be very challenging. This programme will help to cover some of the daily expenses our athletes face in their preparation and training. This fund makes a huge difference for our Team Ireland athletes on their road to Tokyo 2020, and we would once again like to thank FBD Insurance for making this possible.”

If you would like to support our athletes on their journey to Tokyo this year, you can donate at www.greenblades.ie/donate