EFI President Welcomes Increased ISC Grant Allocation For Equestrian Sport

The Irish Sports Council today (Thursday January 24) allocated €447,443 for
equestrian sport to the National Governing Body, the Equestrian Federation
of Ireland.

It was the second-highest grant made to any NGB.

Last year, the ISC allocated the equivalent of €424,583 to equestrian sport,
but this figure included a High Performance grant of approximately €73,000,
which was not part of today's allocation for 2002. The High Performance
grant for 2002 will not be announced until March of this year, and the EFI
is optimistic that this, too, will exceed last year's figure.

EFI President, Ms. Avril Doyle, MEP, commenting on today's announcement,
said: < I welcome the continued commitment by the Irish Sports Council to
equestrian sport in this country. Year by year we are getting closer to the
figure we need to sustain our equestrian athletes at the top, and also to
develop our young people, in both competitive and leisure riding.>