Minister for Sport Patrick O’Donovan has said the government will not involve itself in any talks regarding a potential Katie Taylor fight at Croke Park, after the Irish boxer expressed her hope of ending her career with a bout at the iconic GAA stadium.
Taylor, who is 39, has long spoken of her desire to fight at Croke Park, but time is limited for the Bray native after she confirmed on Tuesday that 2026 is likely to be the final year of her professional boxing career, reports RTE.
Minister O’Donovan was asked whether the government could play any role in helping to make the proposed fight a reality.
However, he dismissed any suggestion of intervening in discussions between Taylor’s team and the GAA, reports RTE.
“One of the very important things that national governing bodies has is independence,” said Minister O’Donovan, speaking at the announcement of a record €33.36m investment in funding support for sporting organisations through Sport Ireland, reports RTE.
“And whatever Croke Park decide to do with regard to Garth Brooks or Oasis or anybody else is entirely a matter for the GAA and Croke Park, reports RTE.
“It’s never appropriate for a Minister to tell the national governing bodies of sport what they should do with their assets. But I want to thank her for everything that she has done for Ireland. Obviously, she has given an enormous lift at a time when we needed it, and to wish her the very, very best of luck on whatever the road has in the next chapter in her life, reports RTE.
“We don’t do commercial interactions between national governing bodies and how they use their assets to grow their own revenue or for what they want to use their facilities for. That’s for them, and it’s a matter for the GAA.”, reports RTE.
Minister O’Donovan also commented on the appearance of rowers Monika Dukarska and Sanita Puspure before a private meeting of the Oireachtas sport committee on Wednesday, where they discussed issues relating to the culture within Irish rowing.
This follows an extensive report published by The Sunday Independent last November, with the committee now examining complaints linked to safeguarding practices, reports RTE.
“I know they’re before the Oireachtas Committee today,” the Minister said. “I know that some of the media reports are troubling, to be quite honest about it. They don’t paint the organisation in a great light, but I hope that there’s another side to the story, reports RTE.
“But as I say, they have had significant investment both in terms of capital and in terms of current from the government through Sport Ireland over the last number of years, reports RTE.
“So, it’s my intention to go to Cork in the not-too-distant future and engage with them. But obviously, look, today’s deliberations in the Oireachtas Committee will shed some degree of light, reports RTE.
“I mean, obviously, give them an opportunity as well to put on the public record their side of the story, which I hope goes some way in terms of clearing up what is being reported in the media at the moment is quite troubling, reports RTE.
“Any time that you have a national governing body of sport being brought before the Oireachtas Committee with regard to governance or with regards to media reports, ordinarily, it’s normally not good, to be honest about it, reports RTE.
“I want to engage with them separately. I want to give them the benefit of the doubt. I’ll obviously look back over today’s proceedings and watch it after the fact. Then I hope to be down in Cork, as I say, within the next couple of weeks, just to see, first of all, the level of investment that we’ve made. I was there as a Minister of State. But secondly, as well, to hear their plans for the future in terms of governance, reform, oversight and expenditure.”, reports RTE.
A record €33.36m in funding support has been allocated to sporting bodies for 2026.
This represents a 6.5% rise on funding levels for 2025 and an 87.4% increase compared to the €17.8m invested in 2018, when the National Sports Policy was introduced, reports RTE.
Special Olympics Ireland received the largest allocation at €1.732m, followed by Athletics Ireland (€1.333m), Swim Ireland (€1.275m), Horse Sport Ireland (€1.16m) and Basketball Ireland (€980,000).
Reflecting on the scale of investment, Sport Ireland CEO Dr Úna May said: “This investment reaches a very large number of governing bodies and we are very keen to ensure that everybody recognises that there is a sport out there for everybody, reports RTE.
“It’s being important that people are active and that they engage with a sport and we want to ensure that there’s a diversity of opportunities. So this funding is critical all the way through from the highest funded governing bodies to the volunteer-led governing bodies who need that support to exist and to provide those opportunities for the public.”, reports RTE.
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