GRANTS/Sports Council allocation: Grants totalling €7.61 million were yesterday given out to 56 federations in the first allocation of funding for sport in 2002. The Irish Sports Council (ISC) announced that this amount was just part of a total of €11.302 million to be invested in National Governing Bodies for this year.

The total allocation was up on last year's €6,853,965 but some sports lost out while others were awarded an increased grant.

Most federations increased their grants, with athletics again topping the list with €676,749, and the Equestrian Federation of Ireland also attracting favourable consideration with the second highest grant of €427,873.

The Irish Amateur Rowing Union had their imminent appointment of a new national coach factored into their allocation of €369,943, of which €40,000 is to go towards funding the coach.

In hockey, the Irish women's team may today find out if they are to compete in this year's World Cup finals in Australia. Accordingly, the Irish Hockey Association may need additional funding for that trip as well as for the men's and women's European qualifying events to be staged in Dublin in the summer.

Hockey, however, is to become the pilot sport for the team carding scheme, which will probably come into effect in March. Their allocation went up from €291,643 to €295,661.

Tennis Ireland's total fell from €397,549 to €390,853, while the allocation for the National Community Games went down from €191,969 to €178,547. The Irish Amateur Boxing Association also lost out on nearly €50,000 from last year, which was the most expensive season in their history as they hosted and organised the summer's World Championships in Belfast.

The details for the funding of the work of the GAA, FAI and IRFU in increasing participation in sport is to be announced in the coming months and this year the ISC's support for this work will come to in excess of €4 million.