Yet another story of injustice in Irish sport funding...

Two Irish cyclists, Robin Seymour and Tarja Owens (Team Podge and Rodge), won the open mixed classification of the TransRockies Challenge in Canada in 2005, beating an international field. I heard nothing about it until today, when I stumbled on the news while looking at a bike accessories website. The pair ended the seven stage off-road race a considerable 2 hours 30 minutes and 23 seconds clear of their closest rivals Blair Saunders and Marg Fedyna (Team Adidas Roll Up The Rim). Such was their performance that their overall time placed them sixth in the open men classification, underling the quality of their ride.

The tragedy is that Seymour and Owens were amongst 80 Irish athletes passed up for funding by the Irish Sports Council for 2005. Their participation in the unique off-road race cost approximately 5,000 euro and was only made possible through the support of K Capital Source/Mark Kenny, Red Bull and Outsider magazine. Why is it that those in control of funding are obsessed with the 'mainstream' sports, and completely ignore those unfortunate enough to excel in a sport that is not easily watched from the comfort of a couch, or a warm corporate grandstand?

To cite another example, Ireland is probably one of the best-sited countries in the world for surfing and windsurfing, but the PWA Professional Windsurfing World Tour only made 3 visits, in 2000 - 2002, as the government wouldn't stump up the cash to host any more, all this despite rave reviews from all who attended as to the excellence of the location, the beauty of the country, and so on. An event like this doesn't even cost very much to host...