Lisa Kearney and Chloe and Sam Magee set for OCI grants boost

Lisa Kearney won a Commonwealth Games bronze medal in Glasgow

Judo star Lisa Kearney and badminton sister and brother mixed doubles team Chloe and Sam Magee are among athletes who will be backed by Olympic Council of Ireland scholarships.

The Ulster trio and five other athletes will receive monthly grants towards training and preparation costs for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

The overall scheme is worth in the region of £80,000.

The scheme is in association with the IOC's Olympic Solidarity programme.

Donegal woman Magee competed at the last Olympics in London.

Magee competed in the singles event in the British capital but the funding that she and her brother will receive from the Olympic Council of Ireland [OCI] will be aimed at boosting their mixed doubles challenge in Rio.

Belfast woman Kearney won a bronze medal at this year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

The other grant recipients will be Sanita Puspure [rowing], Liam Jegou [slalom canoeing], Bryan Keane [triathlon], Andrew Smith [gymnastics] and Natalya Coyle [modern pentathlon].

"We have worked very hard at international levels to ensure that Irish athletes benefit strongly from the International Olympic Committee's Olympic Solidarity programme," said OCI president Pat Hickey.

"We are very pleased that for the Rio Olympics, we have almost doubled the scholarship funding for Team Ireland over the London Games grant."