Hollie Elliott Receives LA2028 IOC Olympic Scholarship
The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) today announced the recipients of the Los Angeles 2028 IOC Olympic Scholarships, with a total fund of $320,000 to be distributed among eight athletes and two teams. The scholarships will support their preparations for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, USA. Triathlete Hollie Elliott is among the eight athlete recipients.
The funding, provided through the International Olympic Committee’s Olympic Solidarity Programme, and supported by Team Ireland’s commercial programme, is designed to assist athletes targeting Olympic qualification. Each recipient will receive up to €26,500 over the four-year cycle, paid in three instalments annually, to help cover costs such as travel, training, accommodation, coaching, and medical insurance. The teams will each receive a total of $50,000 to support them in the qualification journey to LA.
Speaking at the announcement, Chief Executive Officer of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Peter Sherrard, said;
“We are delighted to back the potential of these young athletes and to support them on their qualification pathway to Los Angeles 2028. Thanks to the support of our commercial partners and Olympic Solidarity funding, we have been able to invest over €2.5m in grants to athletes and sports during the past two cycles, while at the same time providing over €4m to support Games costs, playing our part in contributing meaningfully to the system-wide support of Sport Ireland to assist our member sports. I wish the athletes and their sport programmes every success on an exciting journey ahead”
Team Ireland Chef de Mission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, Gavin Noble, said;
“These scholarships make a real difference in the journey to the Olympic Games. They provide crucial support to athletes who are balancing full-time training, competition, and financial pressures. It’s great to see such a strong mix of emerging and established athletes, all with genuine potential to perform at the highest level in Los Angeles.”
Scholarship Makes a Real Difference
Hollie Elliott is currently based at the National Triathlon Centre at the University of Limerick, and next week heads into her final block of two World Cup races for the 2025 season. Elliott has had a solid 2025 with multiple top ten finishes and her first World Triathlon Championship Series start under her belt. With her sights set on qualification for LA2028, the first opportunity to score qualification points starts next summer.
Elliott describes the difference that receiving the scholarship will make to her training;
“Being awarded this IOC and OFI Olympic Solidarity Programme Scholarship is a huge privilege. In what can be such an expensive sport, this financial support in my journey towards LA is extremely helpful. In addition to that, organisations such as the OFI and IOC backing me is a huge confidence boost and I’m incredibly grateful that they have belief in me and my journey.”
“This is the first time that this award has been given to someone from the sport of triathlon, so it’s incredibly rewarding to see that our sport is being recognised. I’m hoping that I can use this opportunity to help inspire another generation of athletes coming through Ireland. I was involved in the build up to the Tokyo Olympics and it was a catalyst in my desire to make the Games myself, so I’d love for some of the juniors to be involved in my journey to 2028 ahead of chasing their own build ups to 2032 and beyond.”
Triathlon Ireland CEO Darren Coombes said;
“Heading into the qualification period for LA28, this important scholarship provides Hollie with an extra level of support as she targets the Games; as well as rewarding the incredible work she has put in to reach this point. We are extremely grateful to the Olympic Federation of Ireland and the IOC for this support for Hollie, and very excited for the journey to come.”
RECIPIENTS
The Los Angeles 2028 IOC Olympic Scholarship recipients are:
Athletes
- Andrew Coscoran (Athletics)
- Aoife O’Brien (Cycling)
- Evan Bailey (Swimming)
- Ewan McMahon (Sailing)
- Grace Davison (Swimming)
- Hollie Elliott (Triathlon)
- Kate O’Connor (Athletics)
- Ronan Byrne (Rowing)
Teams
- Basketball 3×3 (Women)
- Hockey (Men)
