Derval O’Rourke questions sports funding: ‘What are our goals here as a nation?’

“Don’t just come out with throwing some money at something and looking for positive headlines.”

Derval O’Rourke was speaking ahead of the Student Enterprise Programme National Finals on Friday, May 14. O’Rourke is an ambassador for the Local Enterprise Office initiative which is the largest student entrepreneurship programme in the country with 30,000 students taking part every year. The Finals will be broadcast live on Friday on www.StudentEnterprise.ie. Picture: Gerard McCarthy

Derval O’Rourke has questioned the Government’s funding strategy for elite Irish athletes on the back of the decision this week to treble state grants for female inter-county Gaelic games players and bring them into line with monies received by their male counterparts.

The move, as revealed by Minister of State for Sport Jack Chambers, has been widely welcomed in the context of gender equality, but it has prompted questions over the imbalance between monies directed to Gaelic players and athletes in all other sports.