Applications will soon be invited to benefit from the Make a Difference fund, which incorporates proceeds that were raised at the recent Make a Difference golf fund-raiser at the K Club.

The announcement came during the launch of a strategy that focuses on four key pillars: Athlete welfare, athlete voice, athlete impact and athlete spirit.

Also announced was a mentorship programme which will see seasoned Olympians sharing their experiences with younger athletes.

The Athletes' Commission outlined areas of advocacy that they will be focusing on, including the establishment of a task force to explore ways of ensuring that Olympic athletes can be better recognised in the tax system.

The event saw young athletes and experienced Olympians and Olympic medallists from more than 15 sports come together to hear from some of Ireland’s top athletes and to share their own stories and experiences.

Tokyo 2020 boxing bronze medallist Aidan Walsh provided a powerful account of his journey to Olympic success.

There were then panel discussions involving Athletes' Commission members Annalise Murphy, Paddy Barnes, Sanita Puspure and Brendan Boyce offering tips and advice from their own Olympic experiences.

Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Paris, Gavin Noble, also provided an update at the event, which was facilitated by former Athletes' Commission member David Gillick.

Speaking at the event, chair of the Athletes' Commission, Shane O’Connor, who competed for Team Ireland in Alpine Skiing at the Vancouver 2010 Games, said: "Today’s event is focusing on the importance of enjoying the journey in sport, and this is a message that we, as the Team Ireland Athletes' Commission, want to make sure is at the heart of each athlete's own personal journey."

Vice-chair Natalya Coyle, who competed at three Olympic Games in Modern Pentathlon, added: "We are really pleased to launch today’s strategy, especially at this event which has brought together athletes with a range of experience, including a huge number of promising athletes who are just starting their journey. 

"A lot of time was spent developing this strategy that we feel represents athletes in the current Irish high-performance system. 

"We are also pleased to launch it, knowing that work has already begun in many key areas within the strategy. 

"We are looking forward to progressing and to making a difference for the athletes in the coming cycle."