Only one day after Ireland's World Cup final defeat to the Netherlands, Minister for Sport Shane Ross has announced that hockey is set for a financial windfall ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
After enjoying such a spectacular run to yesterday's showpiece game, Ireland's captain Katie Mullan detailed what the next move ought to be; "We’ve never played in a World Cup, now we have. We’ve never played in an Olympic Games, now that’s our next goal."
Speaking in an interview broadcast by RTÉ, Ross outlined how he expects his department to help facilitate the intentions of Ireland's hockey team; "People say how is the government going to respond to this extraordinary achievement? Well, let me tell you."
Revealing that the government has decided to give an additional €1.5 million for Olympic and world champion preparation, Ross also detailed that hockey "will enjoy a significant share of that particular funding”.
