The Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission has taken what it describes as an important first step aimed at securing greater financial support for Ireland’s high-performance athletes, following a meeting with senior officials from the Department of Finance and members of An Tánaiste’s policy team.
The discussions, held on Thursday, were focused on how Ireland’s tax system might better recognise the financial realities faced by athletes competing at the highest international level.
The meeting was attended by Senator Evanne Ní Chuilinn, alongside senior policy advisers to An Tánaiste, and forms part of a wider campaign by the Athletes’ Commission to examine practical measures to lighten the financial burden on athletes preparing for Olympic and Paralympic competition.
While Ireland’s International Carding Scheme grants essential support, the Commission argued that current funding levels, which range from €18,000 to €40,000 annually and are subject to taxation, fall well short of the actual costs incurred by elite athletes.
For many competitors, representing Ireland brings prestige rather than financial reward. Training, travel, relocation, coaching, sports science support, and competition expenses are often funded through a combination of personal resources, family support, and sponsorship.
Athletes frequently relocate to overseas centres of excellence, travel extensively to qualification events and training camps, and rely on specialist services to remain competitive at the international level. The Commission believes that the tax system has not kept pace with the increasing demands and costs associated with modern high-performance sport.
Among the proposals presented were measures that would adapt existing tax supports rather than create new schemes. These include aligning athlete carding payments more closely with Ireland’s Artists’ Exemption model and modernising the existing Sportspersons Tax Relief to better reflect the realities of Olympic and Paralympic sport in 2026.
Vice-Chair of the OFI Athletes’ Commission, Billy Dardis, welcomed the engagement from Government officials.
“Today’s meeting was a really positive start,” he said.
“Our athletes give so much of themselves in pursuit of representing Ireland, and the system needs to evolve to recognise that commitment. We’re grateful to the Department of Finance and to An Tánaiste’s team for their openness and engagement, and we look forward to continuing this work in partnership with Sport Ireland and the Department of Sport.”
Senator Ní Chuilinn also underlined the need for greater practical support for athletes throughout the Olympic cycle.
“Our athletes move from the back pages to the front pages of the newspapers when they win, but they toil every day in the pursuit of excellence,” she said.
“They are rightly celebrated on the good days, and we are happy to put our athletes on podiums and pedestals in four-year cycles. But we cannot trade on our athletes’ passion. They must be supported substantively as they work towards major championships and Olympic or Paralympic qualification. That means increased funding bands and relevant tax rebates – not unlike the Artists’ Exemption.”
The meeting marks the start of what is expected to be a broader consultation process. The Athletes’ Commission will now move into a second phase of engagement with the Department of Sport, working alongside Sport Ireland to develop the proposals and examine how any future measures could be implemented across the high-performance sporting system.
The initiative comes at a time when athlete welfare and support structures are receiving increased attention internationally, with many countries examining how best to enable athletes to pursue elite sporting careers without incurring significant personal financial hardship. For Ireland’s Olympic and Paralympic athletes, the Commission hopes this latest dialogue can help create a framework that more accurately reflects the commitment required to compete on the world stage.
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