Ryan Henderson Among Recipients Of OFI Make A Difference Athlete’s Fund
Irish cyclist Ryan Henderson is among the recipients of funding from the Olympic Federation of Ireland’s Make A Difference Athlete’s Fund.
The Make a Difference athlete fund was announced by the OFI Athletes’ Commission earlier this year, and the Olympic Federation of Ireland has channeled an additional €50,000 directly to athletes across 16 sports due to a high volume of applicants, with a total of €115,000 in funding to support their performance.
Athletes targeting both the Summer Olympics in Paris 2024 and the Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina 2026 will benefit from the fund which will support applications detailing projects from training camps to specialist coaches.
BMX Freestyle Park rider Ryan Henderson has received €3,000 in funding to support his development and goal to qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.
The Belfast native picked up an impressive 10th place at the 2022 European Championships in the event and is targeting a return this year from an ankle fracture sustained at the UCI Urban Cycling World Championships in November.
Chair of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission, Shane O’Connor welcomed the increased amount.
He said:
“There are a huge number of athletes across a huge number of sports vying for Olympic qualification across the sports. The quality and depth of applications received were very impressive and highlighted that a little extra support to the athletes can really make a huge difference. We are happy as an Athletes' Commission to be able to support this fund, with the backing of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, and the Make a Difference golf fundraiser.”