Apr 23, 2015
Gymnastics is one of the oldest Olympic sports and largest sports in the World.
The World Gymnastics Championships is broadcast to a global TV audience of around 200 million people and at every Olympic Games, gymnastics is one of the first sports to sell out.
In Ireland Gymnastics Ireland is one of the largest Olympic sports in the country, while also being one of the most inclusive so male or female, young or old, able bodied or disabled there is something for you.
Physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance are the sports core components however participation in gymnastics activity also develops confidence, creativity & leadership, not to mention a healthy body and mind. Gymnastics also promotes an active, physical lifestyle and develops key motor skills.
There are 8 disciplines that fall under the umbrella of gymnastics, four Olympic & four Non-Olympic…
Olympic Disciplines
Men’s Artistic, Women’s Artistic, Rhythmic gymnastics & Trampoline Gymnastics
Non-Olympic Disciplines
Tumbling, Acrobatics, Aerobics and Gymnastics for All
Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by FIG – the International Gymnastics Federation. There are also 4 continental gymnastics unions, including the European Gymnastics Union – UEG.
Gymnastics Ireland is the national governing body for the sport of gymnastics in Ireland. We are affiliated to both FIG & UEG in addition to the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and are recognised as such by the Irish Sports Council (ISC).
It remains the aim of Gymnastics Ireland to firmly establish Gymnastics as a core Irish sport and provide opportunities for all members of Irish society to participate in what is undoubtedly one of the greatest sports in the world.
Gymnastics Ireland 2015 and beyond…
2015 is a particularly busy year – both on our national competition side and for our international gymnasts.
On the national competition front we kicked off the New Year with the WAG Level 1 in DCU where approx. 350 gymnasts competed in the first competition of the 2015 season.
In February we took delivery of around €340,000 worth of equipment from Janssen Fritsen/Eurotramp and the busy events schedule continued with over 300 gymnasts taking part in the Trampoline/Tumbling Grand Prix, Rhythmic Novice & MAG Levels 1-3 and over 650 gymnasts participating in the WAG Level 2-5.
March also saw us host the first of our two internationals of 2015, the Acrobatics Celtic Cup. With visiting delegations from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, Scotland prevailed as the overall winner, while both Team Ireland & Wales were joint runners up. There were some standout performances from the Irish team however the 11-16 FIG Team finishing in 1st place was a particular highlight. Following the success of this event we now look forward to hosting the 2015 Northern European Championships in UL Sport Arena in September.
On the international circuit Ellis O’Reilly & Andrew Smith stepped out at the WAG/MAG World Cup in Cottbus, the highlight being Andrew’s 10th place finish on Floor. Kieran Behan also competed in the World Challenge Cup in Slovenia placing 19th on both Floor & Rings. Gymnastics also will be one of the largest Irish teams that will compete in June at the European Games in Baku, while our Olympic Qualification starts in late October at the 2015 World Championship in Glasgow.
The next quarter will be just as busy on the national event front with May in particular shaping up as a month of National Championships.
2015 will also see us introduce our new annual flagship participation based event – ‘The Floor’. This event will provide member clubs with the opportunity to put on an entertainment spectacle in front of an enthusiastic crowd of gymnastics fans. The aim of this event is to create an annual showcase where our member clubs pull together a performance to show everyone just how skilful, fun, entertaining & exciting our sport is.
Finally 2015 marks a key milestone in the development of our organisation and sport in Ireland as construction has commenced on the National Gymnastics Training Centre within the new National Indoor Arena at the National Sports Campus in Dublin. This state-of-the-art facility will provide gymnastics Ireland with a world class base of operations for everything from our education system through to our participation & performance programmes in addition to providing a home for our national & international events programme.
Email: ask@gymnasticsireland.com
Telephone: 01 – 625 1125
Website: www.gymnasticsireland.com
Facebook: Facebook.com/GymnasticsIreland
Twitter: @GymnasticsIre
Apr 23, 2015
This year sees the return of the FIS Annual Conference for its third year and it has fast become a must attend event for leaders from Irish Sport, government and business. In 2015 the event will again be hosted in the Storehouse and the keynote address will be delivered by Minister Paschal Donohoe, Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport. FIS Members can book their tickets by clicking here
The event will give an opportunity for NGBs and LSPs to share ideas and learn from member workshops, network, meet industry exhibitors and engage in lively debate….not to mention the opportunity to win some great prizes in the business card draw…The evening will end with a drinks reception, entertainment and dinner in Arthur’s on the 5th Floor. We look forward to seeing you there….
Conference Schedule
1.30pm- Registration, Tea, Coffee and Sandwiches
2.00pm- Conference Opening
2.05pm- Minister Donohoe keynote speech
2.20pm- Workshop 1- The Future of Irish Sport, member discussion and feedback facilitated by MC, Caroline Murphy
3.50pm- Tea & Coffee break
4.20pm- Workshop 2– Fundraising and Networking, hosted by Kingsley Aikins
5.50pm- Conference Closing
6pm- Drinks in Arthurs Bar
6.30pm- Dinner
8.30pm til late- Networking and drinks
FIS Members can book their tickets by clicking here
Biography
Kingsley Aikins
Kingsley Aikins is the founder of Diaspora Matters and has a lifetime of involvement in the sector. Born in Dublin he is an economics and politics graduate of Trinity College and also has a postgraduate diploma in International Marketing.
For five years he was the Sydney Australia based representative of the Irish Trade Board and the industrial Development Authority (IDA) of Ireland. He founded the Lansdowne Club in Sydney which has become one of the largest Irish business networks in the world. He was a founding director of the Australian Ireland Fund and served as Executive Director responsible for the growth of the fund in Australia and New Zealand. In January 1993 he moved to Boston to take over as Executive Director of the American Ireland Fund and in 1995 he was appointed Chief Executive of the Worldwide Ireland Funds active in 39 cities in 13 countries.
He was responsible for the five year Hope and History Campaign to raise $100 million for projects in Ireland. After 21 years he left the Ireland Funds and now runs Diaspora Matters in Dublin which is a consultancy company which gives advice on Diaspora issues to governments, corporates and individuals. He writes and speaks extensively on Philanthropy, Diaspora and Networking and in 2011 produced a Global Diaspora Strategies Toolkit. In 2012 he was the keynote speaker at the Hillary Clinton Global Diaspora Forum in Washington and in 2013 was the Conference Chairman of the Global Diaspora Forum which was held in Dublin.
In 2008 Kingsley was awarded a CBE for his work on British-Irish relations.
NOTE: The conference is a Federation of Irish Sport members event and tickets are not open to general sale. Commercial organisations can attend the conference through a number of partnership options which can be discussed by contacting: Conn McCluskey, Business Services Manager, 01-6251155 conn.mccluskey@irishsport.ie
Apr 16, 2015
WEXFORD’S Bertram Allen is Ireland’s only representative at this week’s Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas, USA, which starts early on Friday morning (Irish time) and finishes on Sunday night.
Allen and his grey mare Molly Malone V will be amongst 41 of the world’s best human and equine athletes competing.
Allen, who is just 19, astonished pundits by winning the first ever World Cup Qualifier in which he had competed, at Verona in Italy late last year.
He followed this with another World Cup Qualifier victory at Bordeaux in France in February.
After a dazzling series of performances internationally, he is now ranked tenth in the world, and is one of the favourites to win the World Cup Final – with the promise of the trophy going to Ireland for the first time in its history.
Other attempts by Irish riders have resulted in runner-up places from Trevor Coyle and the legendary Cruising in 1999 and Jessica Kurten with Castle Forbes Libertina in 2006. Eddie Macken and Carrolls of Dundalk placed third in the World Cup Final in 1979.
Bertram Allen and Molly Malone face a daunting series of up to five world class courses over three days in the Mack Centre arena at Las Vegas, with the World Cup winner being announced after the final competition on Sunday night.
SCHEDULE – SHOW JUMPING WORLD CUP FINAL, LAS VEGAS
- Live video is available for all competitions by subscription from www.feitv.organd starts ten minutes before each competition.
- Updates on scoring will be available via Team Ireland Equestrian’s Twitter feed @teamirleq and on Team Ireland Equestrian’s Facebook page here.
Friday, April 17, 2015
3am (Irish time) Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final I
Speed class, with seconds added for knockdowns
Saturday, April 18, 2015
3am (Irish time) Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final II
One round against the clock, and one jump-off which is also against the clock. Results are then converted into points which are carried into the third and last competition
Sunday, April 19, 2015
8pm (Irish time) Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final III
Two rounds of jumping over a Grand Prix course of fences between 1.50m and 1.60m in height. The top 30 horse-and-rider combinations are eligible to compete but only 20 go through to the second round. The leading rider after the first two competitions goes last, and starts on a zero score.
•Total prize money for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final is €1.3m. The World Cup winner receives 750,000 euro.
•The defending champion is Germany’s Daniel Deusser (Cornet D’Amour).
•Ireland has never won the World Cup Final. Trevor Coyle and the legendary Cruising placed second in 1999 and Jessica Kurten with Castle Forbes Libertina in 2006 also finished as runners-up. Eddie Macken and Carrolls of Dundalk placed third in the World Cup Final in 1979.
Apr 9, 2015
SCHEDULE
Thursday 14th May
– Shannon Airport European Sport Tourism Summit 2015
– Shannon Group European Sport Tourism Awards 2015
Friday 15th May
– European Sport Tourism Industry Expert Sessions
– European Sport Tourism Academic Conference
Register here:
http://sporttourismsummit.ie/event-registration/
EUROPEAN SPORT TOURISM SUMMIT 2015 – Thursday 14th May
The Shannon Airport European Sport Tourism Summit is the largest sport tourism event in Europe. CEOs, directors and key decision makers from the world of sport and tourism will provide insights into what works for sport, sports bodies, events and destinations in creating a sustainable approach to the fastest growing global tourism sector.
The Shannon Airport European Sport Tourism Summit 2015 is being held in Thomond Park Stadium, Limerick on Thursday 14th and Friday 15th May 2015; a city synonymous with sport tourism as European City of Sport 2011 and National City of Culture 2014. The 2 day event has a share of international speakers, expert practical and technical sessions, an international academic conference, VIP Sports Lounge, networking and the 1st European Sport Tourism Awards.
DOWNLOAD 2015 PROGRAMME
EUROPEAN SPORT TOURISM AWARDS – Thursday 14th May
The Shannon Group European Sport Tourism Awards will recognise the best in sport tourism from events, destinations of all sizes, marketing sponsorship activation and social media use across Europe. The awards will mark the success of destination marketing organisations, rights holders and marketing specialists who are directly involved in the sport tourism sector across Europe. The Awards ceremony will be hosted on the evening of Thursday 14th May in King Johns Castle, Limerick. Nominations will be accepted from January 1st to April 27th with the shortlist announced in early May.
ENTER AWARDS
SPORT TOURISM INDUSTRY EXPERT SESSIONS – Friday 15th May
The European Sport Tourism Summit 2015 will host a series of expert sessions with speakers from international bid companies, mega events, sponsorship and global brands providing practical advice on enhancing sport tourism activation. These sessions are a technical and practical insight from international experts on event planning and delivery, sponsorship, digital marketing, bidding, operations and impact evaluation.
DOWNLOAD INDUSTRY EXPERT PROGRAMME
EUROPEAN SPORT TOURISM ACADEMIC CONFERENCE – Friday 15th May
The European Sport Tourism Academic Conference is coordinated by The Centre of Sport, Tourism and Leisure Studies of the University of Brighton in association with W2 Consulting. The conference will consist of feature presentations, a panel discussion on the state of sport and tourism and links between academia and industry as well as paper presentations from academics across Europe and internationally.
DOWNLOAD ACADEMIC PROGRAMME CALL FOR PAPERS
SPORTCAL VIP SPORTS LOUNGE – Thursday 14th & Friday 15th May
The SportCal VIP Sports Lounge presents an opportunity to meet international sport tourism experts including rights holders, federations, event organisers and host destinations. The Sports Lounge is open to industry VIPs and senior executives to network and create business opportunities, expand connections and develop growth in the sport tourism industry. Delegates can attend the Sports Lounge over the course of the 2 day Summit.
MEET THE BUYERS
Apr 8, 2015
SETTING a new high in Irish sporting achievement, 19 year-old Bertram Allen has today (Tuesday) entered the top ten of the world’s best show jumping riders.
In the official Longines World Rider Rankings, which measure the monthly performances of over 2,000 riders internationally, Wexford-born Allen has today for the first time achieved tenth position, putting him amongst the global elite of the sport.
With two recent World Cup Qualifying competition wins under his belt, Allen has 2355 points in the Longines rankings today, with Germany’s Daniel Deusser in the lead with 2825 points.
The teenager won his first ever World Cup competition at Verona late last year aboard Ballywalter Farms’s mare Molly Malone V, and then followed that up in February with another win at Verona in Italy on Billy Twomey’s stallion Romanov, a horse which also gave him victory in the German Grand Prix at Dortmund in March.
Allen is also the only Irish rider to qualify for the FEI World Cup final at Las Vegas in April, and is now one of the favourites to take the trophy. If he does, he will be the youngest rider in 30 years to achieve this honour, and the first show jumper from Ireland to claim first place. The nearest Ireland has come to taking the World Cup crown were runner-up places from Trevor Coyle and the legendary Cruising in 1999 and Jessica Kurten with Castle Forbes Libertina in 2006. Eddie Macken and Carrolls of Dundalk also placed third in the World Cup Final in 1979.
Allen says of his methods: “You have to be dedicated, relaxed and quiet. Horses have to live and work in a simple, natural way. You have to do what is necessary to be where you want to be. You have to improve yourself by learning from the best, and then the opportunities will come.”
Mar 31, 2015
The Grant Thornton Corporate 5k Team Challenge is back by popular demand in the Dublin Docklands on Tuesday 1st of September for the fourth year in a row. It is also expanding to two new locations the National Sports Campus in Fingal on Wednesday 13th of May and The Mall, Cork City on Tuesday 30th of June. The Corporate Challenge is organised by the national governing body Athletics Ireland as one of their key fundraising events to support young emerging athletes. Participants are encouraged to fundraise for the chosen charity the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children through my.charity.ie. The ISPCC will also receive 10% of all entrants’ fees. http://www.grantthorntoncorporatechallenge.ie/
In 2014 entries hit a record high of close to 1000 teams or 4000 participants. Given the success of the race it will be rolled out to two new locations to allow more of the business community to experience this unique event. The new locations and dates are the National Sports Campus in Fingal on Wednesday 13th of May and The Mall, Cork City on Tuesday 30th of June with the flagship event taking place in the Dublin Docklands on Tuesday 1st of September.
The Corporate Challenge is organised by the national governing body Athletics Ireland whose mission is to support and develop the athletes of Ireland of all ages, disciplines and abilities. Aimed at encouraging social running amongst the business community in Dublin and Cork, the event welcomes both seasoned runners as well as beginners. Each run will be a team event and a minimum of four participants will enter with team members’ times combined to determine the winner.
Paul McCann, Managing Partner with Grant Thornton said: “The Corporate Challenge is a great opportunity to build team spirit and to create a sense of healthy competition. This event goes from strength to strength every year with more people participating. We are delighted to partner with Athletics Ireland and to support the work that they do to promote fitness and making a difference to young promising athletes.”
“We recognise the importance of promoting fitness and by supporting this event, we also hope that we are enhancing the awareness of the important role it can play in the workplace. In addition, it’s a great opportunity to raise some funds for charity and this year, 10% of each entry fee to each Challenge will go to the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) to support the work it is doing to build stronger, healthier families, who can cope with challenges, solve problems and raise happy, resilient children.”
Event Ambassador, Olympian and former London Marathon winner Catherina McKiernan commented on last year’s run, “There was a great buzz and atmosphere. While there was a certain competitive edge to it, there was a little more banter than what I would be use to at the start of a race. As an athlete it gave my heart a lift to see so many people out running and keeping themselves fit and healthy”.
John Foley, Chief Executive of Athletics Ireland, said “As an association one of our core strategic objectives is to promote health and fitness in the population as a whole. This event enables us to reach beyond our core membership into the business community by encouraging them to focus on a fitness programme which targets a 5k run; a good starter point for novice runners. We are delighted that we are adding new locations and we can extend this positive impact to over 7600 participants.”
Foley added: “Financial stability is central to delivery of our strategic plans, in addition to funds received from the Irish Sports Council we generate 50% of our own revenue. Grant Thornton’s sponsorship of this event allows for it to be a revenue earner for the association with profits generated channelled into our Junior High Performance Athletics programmes. These programmes provide support and expertise to close to 100 of our emerging young athletes to help them to fulfil their potential.”
Entry fee is €100 for a team of four, all events are chipped timed for accuracy and there is a t-shirt and goody bag for all participates.
Participants are encouraged to fundraise for the chosen charity Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) through mycharity.ie.
To ENTER your team now and download Catherina McKiernan’s training programme go to www.grantthorntoncorporatechallenge.ie.
