Annalise Murphy’s outstanding fourth-place finish in the Laser Radial at London 2012 was rewarded again today (Monday) with the Irish Sailor of the Year prize by Afloat magazine.
Last August Ireland’s best Olympic sailing result in 30 years in any class was watched by countless numbers of TV viewers across Ireland and beyond.
And it was more than enough to earn the young sailor the honour of being named Sailor of the Year for 2012, topping a shortlist that featured fellow Olympic challengers Peter O’Leary and David Burrows, and such up-and-coming talents as Sophie Browne, Finn Lynch and Fionn Lynden.
The accolade recognises a remarkable 12 months of achievement for the young athlete, capped off by her stirring performance at the London Games.
Despite the heartbreak of so narrowly missing out on Olympic bronze in the medal race, her accomplishment was appreciated far beyond the Irish sailing community, and raised the profile of the sport in Ireland immeasurably.
The then 22-year-old, who sails for the National Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire, had the entire country on edge last August as she battled with what Afloat’s own WM Nixon described as the “fierce challenge” of being top of the Women’s Laser Radial class, in stature as well as performance.
At 6ft 1in, the woman they call ‘The Irish Lever’ was undoubtedly the tallest in her 41-boat fleet at London 2012, and some British yachting pundits were quick to put down her early regatta wins purely to her larger frame.
But Murphy – who headed to the Olympics with confidence after a podium finish at the Skandia Sail for Gold, and a medal at Weymouth the previous year – proved that her success was no fluke, holding the gold medal position for almost half the regatta and entering the last race in third place overall.
Facing unbelievable pressure as the regatta reached its final stages on the Nothe course in Weymouth, in tricky conditions that would spread wide the times of most club racers, it’s to Murphy’s estimable credit that she was able to keep so tight with the front-runners, and it was only in the last few seconds – and last few metres – that she was knocked out of the bronze position.
We’ll never forget the tears she shed after the medal race’s conclusion – the whole of Ireland shared in her heartbreak. But we also shared the belief that that was but one setback in a world-class sailing career that’s only just beginning.
Considering the talented and dedicated NYC sailor and UCD student is still only 23, there’s clearly plenty of sailing success awaiting in her future, and she starts 2013 on her ‘Road to Rio’ aiming to clinch a medal at the
2016 Olympic Games.
In spite of losing out on a podium finish at the ISAF Sailing World Cup in Miami earlier this month, the fact that she came so close – and led the charge in the early stages – proves that she can stand proudly with the elite in her class. And she’ll have another chance to prove herself in the next round of the ISAF World Cup in Palma de Mallorca on 30 March.
Toyota Ireland has announced that it has become the new Official Car Sponsor to Cricket Ireland.
The three year deal will see Toyota providing a fleet of vehicles to Cricket Ireland including the Avensis and the Auris, to support the operational and business needs of Cricket Ireland, and to also support the strategic development programme for the sport in Ireland.
Commenting on today’s announcement, Ian Corbett, Marketing Operations Manager for Toyota Ireland said, “We, at Toyota Ireland, are delighted to announce this sponsorship with Cricket Ireland. Cricket Ireland has emerged as a top class professional sporting organisation. Its strategic plan to 2015 is ambitious and focused and we look forward to supporting their efforts to grow and strengthen the game in Ireland.
Our aim is to support cricket at elite level in Ireland’s drive towards qualification to future World Cups but also at grassroots where the cricket development programme is increasing participation in the sport right across Ireland.”
Also commenting Dennis Cousins, Head of Commercial, Cricket Ireland said: “Cricket Ireland are delighted to welcome Toyota on board as our new Official Car Sponsor. Toyota’s national presence and popularity supports our plans to build on the increased levels of interest, participation and coverage of cricket throughout Ireland. We are excited about this new relationship which brings together two organizations who have great heritage in Ireland, and who are both committed to continuous improvement and excellence with equally matched high ambitions. We look forward to working with Toyota into the future on our journey to becoming a Full Member Test Nation.”
The Irish Cricket Team are ranked number 10 in the world in T20 Cricket and recently competed in the T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka in Sept/October 2012. The team are ranked No.11 in 50 over
cricket while the Irish Women’s team are ranked No.10. Ireland is also the top associate cricket nation in the world.
The Irish team will host England in the one day RSA Challenge match in Malahide on 3rd Sept 2013 which will be televised live on Sky Sports. The Irish team will also play a number of other fixtures against test nations next year in addition to World Cup Qualifiers and ICC Inter-Continental Cup Matches.
There are currently over 34,000 actively participating in cricket in Ireland with in the region of 140 Cricket Clubs and over 900 Senior and Junior teams in all of Ireland.
Patrick Wall has been appointed as the new Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland following his nomination by Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport Leo Varadkar.
Patrick Wall is Professor of Public Health at University College Dublin, and is qualified both as a veterinary surgeon and a medical doctor. He was nominated by Minister Varadkar, in consultation with the Minister for Agriculture, Food & the Marine Simon Coveney, and with Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring, and appointed by the board of directors of Horse Sport Ireland today.
“Patrick Wall brings a wealth of experience and expertise which will enable Horse Sport Ireland to develop further in the years ahead, building on the very solid foundation which has been laid for the organisation by outgoing Chairman Joe Walsh. His previous experience as a chairman and a chief executive will be useful in this role, along with his ongoing participation in equestrian sports. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Joe for his exemplary work in bringing the different elements of equestrian sport together and his contribution to the sport,” Minister Varadkar said.
Minister of State for Tourism & Sport Michael Ring said: ‘This appointment marks the start of a new era for equestrian sport in Ireland. Patrick Wall is the ideal candidate for this position, and I look forward to working with him in the future’.
Patrick Wall is qualified as both a veterinary surgeon and a medical doctor and is presently a Professor of Public Health in University College Dublin. He was co-author of the 2010 UCD report on Horse Welfare in Ireland commissioned by World Horse Welfare. He is a co-director of the UCD/Redmills Advanced Certificate in Applied Equine Husbandry, a new course developed for individuals from the fledging Chinese sports horse industry. He is the former head of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland and a former Chairman of the European Food Safety Authority.
A keen horseman, Dr Wall has shown and judged young horses, produced riding horses for the Ridden Hunter classes, participated in hunter trials and one-day-event competitions, and ridden in Point-to-Points. During the past couple of years, Dr Wall led the RDS Breeding Group appointed to investigate the lack of success of Irish-bred horses at the top end of showjumping competition.
Sarah O’Shea was appointed as Chair of the Federation of Irish Sport following Fergus Murphy’s decision to step down due to increasing work commitments. She has been on the Executive Committee of the Federation for four years. Sarah is the Legal Director at the Football Association of Ireland (“FAI”) and is currently a member of the UEFA Hattrick Committee.
She works across a broad range of areas including regulatory, commercial and disciplinary and has been involved in projects including the Aviva Stadium and Europa League Final Dublin 2011.
Speaking on her appointment Sarah said, “I am delighted to have been appointed Chair of the Federation. Whilst much progress has been made in recent years, there is still much to be done to increase awareness of the wider contribution of sport to Irish society. I look forward to meeting this challenge and to working with all of the Federation’s membership to ensure that their vital contribution to Irish Life is recognised and supported.”
Basketball Ireland (B.I.) is the national governing body for the sport on the island of Ireland.
Part of FIBA Europe, the European Governing body, and of FIBA, the World Governing body, B.I. is responsible for the promotion and administration of basketball throughout Ireland and for Irish international participation.
Membership
Basketball Ireland has 16,000 members registered at club level.
Clubs & Schools
219 Clubs are registered with Basketball Ireland, while there are 378 registered schools.
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2012 Highlights
In 2012 Basketball Ireland introduced a successful new registration database with allowed the governing body to accurately capture membership numbers.
Both the 2012 National Cup and League Finals were televised by Setanta Ireland in front of a capacity crowds at the National Basketball Arena in Tallaght. Basketball Ireland have formed a positive partnership with Setanta Sports, with a monthly magazine show on Setanta Ireland airing on the first Sunday of every month at 6.40pm.
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Looking Forward to 2013
Basketball Ireland has just completed their National Cup Semi Finals and Final. The Semi-Finals were held in Neptune Stadium and the Parochial Hall, Cork the weekend of 11th-13th January. The matches drew great crowds throughout the weekend and a sold out Neptune Stadium for the Men’s SuperLeague game between Neptune and UCC Demons.
The National Cup Finals took place in the National Basketball Arena from Friday 25th – Sunday 27th January. Once again the Men’s and Women’s SuperLeague finals were televised live by Setanta Ireland in front of a capacity crowd, while the remainder of the finals draw great crowds over Saturday and Sunday.
The All Ireland Schools Cup Finals took place in the National Basketball Arena from Tuesday 22nd January to Friday 25th January. Twelve great games took place, with the arena filling out on a number of occasions throughout the week, as some schools closed for the day to come to the Arena to support their team. In addition, Setanta covered two days of the schools cup finals to be included in this month’s magazine show. This was a hugely positive step for schools basketball and it continues to grow throughout Ireland.
A Men’s SuperLeague Select team has already travelled to Birmingham to play England before Basketball England’s National Cup Finals on the 13th January, with Ireland winning by three points, 80-83.
Looking forward to the rest of 2013, Basketball Ireland will increase the number of underage teams competing on the international stage from four to eight. Basketball Ireland are looking forward to a number of key events including; the National League Finals, the Ireland All Ireland Schools League Finals and the All Ireland Club Championships.
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Calendar of Events
Basketball Ireland National League Finals
March 2013
Basketball Ireland Schools Leagues Finals
March & May 2013
Basketball Ireland College Intervarsitites
April 2013
Basketball Ireland All Ireland Club Championships
April 2013
Basketball Ireland National Area Board Intermediate Championships
May 2013
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How to Get Involved
People interested in getting involved in basketball can check out the Basketball Ireland website where they have a handy club finder facility. This provides a map of the country and people can locate their nearest club.
Alternatively, you can contact Basketball Ireland HQ on (01) 4590211 or info@basketballireland.ie and they can help people get involved.
Basketball is a sport for life, and if people want to get involved as referees, table officials or commissioners they can also contact Basketball Ireland HQ. Basketball Ireland cater for all ages and can find a role for anyone within the sport. We’d love to have you!
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Fact File
TOP 6 participation sports in Ireland
NUMBER 1 sport for females under 16
NUMBER 1 indoor sport
219 CLUBS nationwide
50/50 SPLIT between male and female
3rd FAVOURITE sport amongst teenagers
100s play basketball in schools
300,000 people involved in Irish basketball as player, coaches, officials, parents & fans
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Social Media
You can stay in touch with Basketball Ireland on:
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Contact Basketball Ireland
Basketball Ireland Head Office, National Basketball Arena, Tymon Park, Tallaght, Dublin 24
Phone: (01) 4590211 Fax: (01) 4590212
Email: info@basketballireland.ie
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Do you want your organisation to feature here?
Contact the Federation of Irish Sport on 01-6251155 of email david.gash@irishsport.ie
Minister Ring, speaking at the European Parliament on January 23rd, confirmed that the sustainable financing of sport and dual careers for sportspeople would be the key issues from the EU Work Plan on Sport that Ireland would seek to progress during its European Presidency.
Speaking in Brussells, Minister Ring was keen to highlight the positive impact of sport:
“There are huge economic and social benefits to be gained from sport. In the current climate it is important to recognise the importance of sport for economic and social development, both at national and European level. Sport plays a vital role in improving the health and well being of our citizens and instills a sense of place and belonging among those who play and those who follow sport.”
On Ireland’s Presidency, Minsister Ring continued:
“The Irish Presidency aims to ensure the implementation of the first EU workplan of sport in cooperation with the Commission and the Member States; and indeed with the support of our colleagues in the European Parliment, our priorities include dual careers, the sustainable financing of sport and issues around protecting the integrity of sport.”
Minister Ring said it was important that situations where sports people were forced to choose between either education and/or work and sport needs to be avoided. The Irish Presidency, in light of the increasing demands on professional sports players, will prepare a set of conclusions on dual careers with a view to them being adopted at the meeting of the Education, Culture, Youth & Sport Council in May
The sustainable financing of sport is another focus of the Irish presidency with Minister Ring indicating that the issue of economic contribution of sport and the financing of sport will be a common theme throughout the current trio of presidency.
On the econominc contribution of sport, Minister Ring said:
“The contribution of sport to economic growth and employment has been recorded by a series of recent studies. The gross value added by in the EU in €173bn or 1.76% of the EU total value; 3.1 million people are employed in sport in the EU and this amounts to 2.12% of total EU employment.”
Other areas of focus for the Irish Presidency include the areas of matching fixing and doping. Speaking about priorities for sport during Ireland’s presidency, the Federation of Irish Sport Chief Executive, Sarah O’Connor said:
“The Presidency gives Ireland an opportunity to contribute to the on-going development of European sports policy. Our track record of involvement in Europe in relation to sport was limited up until recently. However, this has approved over the last two years with the appointment of Irish representatives to each of the six EU Expert Groups on Sport. It is good to see that the focus of our Presidency will be on some of the outcomes of 3 of those Expert Groups.
“The Federation also welcomes Minister Ring’s acknowledgement of the contribution of sport to economic growth and employment. The Federation has sought to heighten awareness of this in Ireland with recent European research indicating that up to 40,000 jobs are supported by sport in Ireland alone with sport contributing €2.4 billion to GDP.”
Ireland will host will host two sport related events over the course of the Presidency with a conference on the Sustainable Financing of Sport on the 7th March with an informal meeting of the Sport Directors from across the EU taking place the following day. Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Leo Varadkar, will also represent Europe on the World Anti Doping Authority (WADA) council for the next 18 months.
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