International Carding Scheme

The International Carding Scheme was introduced in 1998 to provide a range of supports to assist Ireland's most talented sportspersons realise their potential to perform successfully at the highest international level. The Carding Scheme is operated by the Irish Sports Council’s High Performance Unit.

The objective of the Scheme is to support senior athletes who have the potential to deliver Olympic and Paralympic final place finishes. For athletes to remain on the Scheme they must not only continue to meet the published criteria, but must also show progression within each of the senior level carding categories over the years, e.g. world rankings should improve, times should get quicker or finishing positions in major events should improve.

This is done by providing a range of supports to those athletes at International/World Class/Podium levels. In addition, a range of science, medicine and lifestyle supports are available to carded athletes, accessible through their NGB or by contacting the Irish Institute of Sport, who coordinate those services on behalf of the ISC.

As a result of a recent Carding Scheme review, support for younger athletes will now become part of an NGB’s overall High Performance Programme for 2011, where sports have developed a funded High Performance plan with the Irish Sports Council.

The Scheme is underpinned by a drugs-free philosophy. Where a player or athlete commits an anti-doping rule violation resulting in a sanction of a period of ineligibility, the ISC expressly reserves to itself the discretion to refuse to include the player or athlete in the Scheme in the future.