123.ie is to extend its partnership with Athletics Ireland to become the new official kit sponsor of Irish athletics.

It’s existing multi-annual six-figure sponsorship of Athletics Ireland began in November 2022.

The early extension will see 123.ie offer additional support to the current generation of Irish Athletics stars, while also backing the future stars of the sport as they progress through Athletics Ireland’s performance pathway programmes.

The insurer’s brand will feature on the Irish international kit at major European and World events over the next three years, starting with the European Athletics Indoor Championships which take place in Istanbul next month.

The announcement follows a hugely successful period for Irish athletics both at home and abroad in recent times.

The Athletics Ireland membership has bounced back tremendously following covid lockdowns, resulting in 40,000 members registering by early February 2023, the earliest the figure has ever been reached in a calendar year.

Ireland’s high-performance athletes also continue to shine on the international stage, securing thirty international medals during the Tokyo Olympic cycle, compared to the twelve claimed during the Rio cycle.

The stars of Irish athletics will go in search of more success at the European Indoor Championships in Istanbul next month with an exciting team including a mix of established and up-and-coming stars.

“Since we started working with Athletics Ireland last November, we’ve made no secret of our desire to help and support athletes of all levels to be the best they can be,” said 123.ie Head of Marketing Elaine Knowles.

“We’ve long been admirers of the great ambassadors we have in the athletics in Ireland, and we want to give them all the backing we can so they can continue to perform and inspire on the world stage.”

“123.ie are proud to call ourselves the national partner of Athletics Ireland and this new kit sponsorship, along with our direct support of six high performance athletes, marks the next step in our plans to help the sport grow in Ireland over the coming years.”

“We are delighted to welcome 123.ie on board as our new international kit sponsor,” added Hamish Adams, CEO of Athletics Ireland.

“The Irish vest has so much prestige and history attached to it, and we were only going to ever offer this opportunity to a partner who was truly invested in our sport.”

“123.ie have already shown their commitment to our sport in becoming our national partner, as well as directly supporting several of our high performance athletes with significant sponsorship deals, so we are delighted to further strengthen this relationship for the benefit of our sport.”

“Today marks another exciting milestone for our sport and comes in a week where we are also delighted to announce the names of our new High Performance Supported Coaches, details of which can be found on the Athletics Ireland website.”