Funding for Ireland's Women's Triathlon has been tripled by Sport Ireland after the success in increasing female participation in the sport.
In particular, they are increasing funding for Triathlon Ireland’s Women in Sport initiative which was implemented by Triathlon Ireland's Anna Grealish.
The programme is now in its third year and has set ambitious goals to increase female participation in the sport of triathlon.
The programme has been enormously successful, exceeding its targets for female membership 18 months ahead of schedule; and integrating female participation into all areas of Triathlon Ireland’s strategic plan.
Caroline Hayes has been one of the shining lights for Women's Triathlon in Ireland, having won numerous national and international events in her career.
She spoke to Off The Ball back in June about how she balances doing triathlons with working as a doctor.
At 36 per cent, Triathlon Ireland has one of the highest female participation rates of any sport in Ireland.
The increase in support for the ‘Equally Inspiring’ programme followed a comprehensive review by Sport Ireland which is part of the National Sports Policy, and Sport Ireland’s own Women in Sport Strategy.
Following the review, Sport Ireland increased Triathlon Ireland’s women in sport funding from €15,000 per annum to €50,000 for each year in 2019 and 2020.
Speaking about the announcement, Chris Kitchen, CEO of Triathlon Ireland said, "We have had a fantastic increase in female participation and membership over the last couple of years with a targeted programme to encourage more women into triathlon.
"This has been especially so at junior level where the balance is virtually 50/50 male/female. I want to thank Sport Ireland for the vote of confidence in our programme with a very welcome increase in our Women in Sport Funding."
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