Irish Olympic sailors are among the athletes highlighted in a pre-Budget submission calling for an overhaul of tax relief available to Ireland’s high-performance sportspeople.
The Olympic Federation of Ireland Athletes’ Commission is proposing a new tax credit for Olympic and Sport Ireland-carded athletes, alongside an expansion of the existing Sportspersons Relief to cover all Olympic sports.
The submission specifically identifies sailing, rowing and gymnastics as Olympic disciplines whose athletes currently cannot access Sportspersons Relief because their sports are not included on the qualifying list.
This is particularly relevant for Irish sailing, where Olympic campaigners can spend years training and competing internationally while relying on carding, sponsorship and other support rather than the salaries or prize money available in some professional sports.
The Athletes’ Commission says Ireland's high-performance system has changed substantially since Sportspersons Relief was introduced in 2002. Ireland sent 136 athletes across 15 sports to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, winning seven medals, but athletes in several Olympic disciplines remain outside the existing relief.
€50,000 Credit Proposed
The Commission's primary proposal is for a €50,000 annual tax credit for each year an athlete is Sport Ireland-carded or competes at an Olympic Games.
Rather than requiring athletes to have substantial sporting income while they are competing, the credit would accumulate during their high-performance careers and could be used against future Irish income tax after retirement or against non-sporting income earned during their careers.
The Commission says the measure would follow the principle of the existing Artists Exemption and help compensate athletes for the opportunity cost involved in pursuing elite sport.
It estimates the proposal's annual cost at €1.4 million, based on current athlete carding numbers.
Sailing Could Join Qualifying Sports
A second proposal would amend Schedule 23A of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 so that all Olympic sports governed by recognised National Governing Bodies would qualify for Sportspersons Relief.
The Commission also wants to modernise qualifying sporting income to include sponsorship and philanthropic income, which it says have become important funding sources for Olympic athletes.
Such a change would bring Olympic sailing within the relief and remove the distinction currently faced by sailors and athletes in several other Olympic disciplines.
The Athletes’ Commission argues that the two measures together would reduce the financial opportunity cost of elite sport, provide more equal treatment across Olympic disciplines and encourage athletes to remain in Ireland following their competitive careers.
