Shane Ryan Cruises to Another Irish Record in Budapest

Shane Ryan Cruises to Another Irish Record in Budapest

Nov 3, 2020

Shane Ryan swam a second Irish Senior Record in as many days as he cruised to a new national standard in the 100m Backstroke on the second day of Match 3 at the International Swimming League in Budapest, Hungary.

Ryan, who had broken the 100m Butterfly Irish Record yesterday in 50.53, added the 100m Backstroke today in a time of 50.22, knocking .19 off his own record of 50.41 set at the European Short Course Swimming Championships in Glasgow in 2019.

Tokyo Frog Kings Ryosuke Irie won the event in 49.91, while Ryan Murphy, who tied with Ryan to win the 50m Backstroke yesterday, was third in 50.42.

Soon after, the Rio 2016 Olympian was back in the pool for the 50m Butterfly where he was just one hundredth of a second off his own 50m Butterfly Irish Record of 22.96, touching in 22.97.

Ryan concluded his first Match of the season in the 50m Backstroke Skins* finishing second in the first round in 23.13 and third in round two in 24.15.

Ryan and the Toronto Titans return to action on November 1st and 2nd while Darragh Greene’s London Roar are back in the pool, after a two-week break, on October 30th and 31st.

ISL Match 3 – Final Standings

LA Current                         535.5

Tokyo Frog Kings             506.5

Toronto Titans                 401

Aqua Centurions              260

About the International Swimming League (ISL)

Now in its second year, the ISL will bring 315 swimmers from 48 countries to Budapest, Hungary for eight weeks in October/November.

Athletes are split across ten teams; Cali Condors (California), Team Iron (Budapest), Tokyo Frog Kings, London Roar, DC Trident (Washington DC), New York Breakers, Toronto Titans, LA Current, Aqua Centurions (Italy) and Energy Standard (Ukraine).

The teams will face off against each other in a series of ten matches from October 16th to November 14th. Semi-Finals will take place for the top eight teams from 19th – 22nd November, while the Final, made up of four teams, will be November 21st and 22nd.

Ireland have two swimmers competing, Darragh Greene for London Roar and Shane Ryan for Toronto Titans.

*Skins Race

A Skins race is an exciting series of back-to-back races which operate on a knockout basis, with the two remaining swimmers racing each other in a head-to-head final race.

 

 

Fingal County Council Sports Office launches online schools initiative SportsCon 10@10

Fingal County Council Sports Office launches online schools initiative SportsCon 10@10

Nov 3, 2020

Fingal County Council Sports Office has launched a new online schools initiative called SportsCon 10@10. SportsCon 10@10 is 10 exercises performed for 10 minutes each day. It is designed to keep kids active while staying in their classroom. The programme will also include some interesting physical activity facts as an educational element. Teachers can fit in the 10 minutes of activity at any stage of the day to suit the class schedule.

These activities will complement the strands of the P.E curriculum and are a great idea for Active Flag School Challenges. The exercises are closely aligned with Fingal’s Sports Conditioning programme focusing on balance, strength, mobility and motor skills.

Margaret Geraghty, Director of Service, Fingal County Council, acknowledges that this is a very challenging time for teachers trying to deliver P.E. “Teachers are much more restricted in terms of where and when they can deliver P.E. sessions. 10@10 hopes to alleviate some of these challenges and assist teachers with new ideas to help children stay active in the classroom with fun exercises along with an educational element.”

If schools would like to register for this free online programme visit  https://learning.fingal.ie/course/view.php?id=173#section-0

IWA Online Activities

IWA Online Activities

Nov 3, 2020

  1. Our Coach Education, ​​Technical and Events Officer Emily Norton will be running the Introduction to Coaching Wheelchair Rugby Course
  • Date is TBC (End of November early December)
  • The theory element will be held online and the practical element is TBC
  • For more information contact Emily.Norton@iwa.ie
  1. The IWA-Sports Centre in Clontarf have launched the Healthy at Home facebook group.
  • For anyone missing the gym, looking to stay active
  • Interactive group with IWA-Sports centre members delivering fully inclusive workouts for all abilities.
  • To join the group head over to the IWA-Sport Facebook page
  • The group will offer online classes and workouts, one to one sessions with staff members and also educational information
  • For more information contact Tara.Fitzgibbon@iwa.ie
  1. 21 day walk or push challenge
  • In partnership with Get Ireland Walking
  • For anyone who wants to start a life changing habit
  • To join the group head over to the IWA-Sport Facebook page
  • Even with something as enjoyable and easy as walking or a leisurely push, it can be hard to stick with your promise to be more active more often.
  • Starting in November for 21 days
  • For more information contact Tara.Fitzgibbon@iwa.ie
20×20 – Final Event Press Release

20×20 – Final Event Press Release

Oct 22, 2020

Final Event Press Release

Oct 22nd 2020

RESEARCH SHOWS 20×20 HAS HAD A STRONG IMPACT ON IRISH CULTURE AROUND WOMEN IN SPORT – BUT THERE’S STILL MORE TO BE DONE

  • 80% of the population are more of aware of women’s sport since the launch of 20×20
  • 61% are more likely to support women’s sport since the launch of 2020
  • 75% of men say 20×20 changed their mindset positively towards women’s sport
  • 42% of women say they are participating in more sport and physical activity than in 2018 due to awareness of 20×20
  • 50% of the population and 60% of females say they would be more inclined to purchase from brands that support women’s sport

OCTOBER 21ST, 2020:  20×20, the movement originated and driven by the creative agency Along Came A Spider, and presented by the Federation of Irish Sport, came to a conclusion today at a star-studded virtual event hosted by KPMG. 20×20 set out two years ago to create a measurable shift in the perception of women in sport in Ireland, so that it would be seen as something strong, valuable and worth celebrating.

The campaign would never have come to life without five Irish businesses championing the 20×20 mission, KPMG, AIG, Investec, Lidl and Three. All of Ireland’s National Governing Bodies and Local Sports Partnerships, as well as a host of third level institutions, schools and clubs around the country also showed their support and signed a 20×20 Charter.

A key objective for 20×20 was to make women’s sport a bigger part of Irish culture by making it more visible. Research commissioned by 20×20 and conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes, details significant success here with 80% of Irish adults – rising to 84% of Irish men – saying they are more aware of women’s sport now, than before the movement launched two years ago. Three quarters of those surveyed also say they believe that women’s sport is seen as cooler. Of those aware of the campaign, 73% – rising to 75% of men – say that 20×20 changed their mindset positively towards girls and women in sport, with 68% stating they support women in sport more because of 20×20, and 42% of women saying they now participate in more sport because of the movement.

Despite this progress though, women’s sport still lags far behind men’s sport when it comes to participation, attendance and media coverage. In terms of media coverage, research conducted by Nielsen at the outset of the campaign, found that just 4% of sport’s online coverage and 3% of sport’s print coverage was dedicated to women’s sport. By the end of 2019, each of these had grown by 2%, up to 5% for online and 6% for print. TV coverage of women’s sport meanwhile saw a 40% decrease in the same period, even though coverage of women’s sport grew across both RTÉ and TG4. Despite the decline in coverage levels, audience of women’s sport on TV grew from 7% in 2018 to 18% in 2019. Participation grew by 13% while attendance in women’s sport increased by 17% during this period.

Some other key findings came out of the research, including the fact that 73% of the general population (and 80% of sports fans) agreed that ‘greater visibility of women’s sports and athletes is crucial to grow women’s sport’. Similarly, over 3 in 4 of the general population believe sponsors should invest in both versions of sport and that sponsors should support women’s sport. Indeed, fans show higher purchase intentions for brands who sponsor women’s sport, with half of the population, – and 60% of females – also saying that they would be more inclined to purchase from brands that support women’s sport.

Speakers at the KPMG and 20×20 final campaign event today included nine-time Wimbledon Champion Martina Navratilova, former Irish rugby international, Brian O’Driscoll and Olympic silver medalist at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, Sonia O’Sullivan amongst others. All lauded the significant strides made by women’s sport in recent years yet warned against complacency given the scale of the job yet to be done.

The speakers at the concluding event highlighted the significant opportunity available for society, for media, for sponsors and for sport itself from continued growth of women’s sport. They cautioned that this would not just happen but would require investment, promotion and commitment from all of Irish sport’s stakeholder. They asked that today not be seen as an end of a journey but rather as a catalyst to ensuring the true potential of women’s sport is maximised for the benefit of all.

Speaking about the research, Sarah Colgan, CEO of Along Came A Spider and 20×20 founder said: “In October 2018 20×20 set out to create a shift in Irish culture and to begin a change in the value we place on women in sport in Irish society. We set a two-year window, up to October 2020 to have an impact. The results released today are hugely encouraging. The will to be progressive by all stakeholders in sport has got stronger, our female athletes are becoming unapologetic, fans are asking for more, voices are becoming louder, and a change has taken place in the Irish psyche. 20×20 became a national movement thanks to the support of Irish sport, Irish media, and the Irish public – in addition to the five Irish brands who made it possible. There is still a huge way to go to get to 50/50, and we are coming from a terribly low base, but the responsibility and the opportunity for everyone touching sport is huge now. We all need to set expectations high when it comes to women’s sport, to keep pushing for answers and questioning ourselves and what we see around us in order build on this momentum.”

CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport, Mary O’Connor said: “We have all come a long way since 20×20 launched in 2018 and it was fantastic to hear today the shifts that are happening in our culture and in perception around women in sport. The research shows just how important that visibility, participation and attendance has meant for women in sport across the country, and as we close the curtain on this fantastic movement, we are hoping that everyone takes the baton that 20×20 is handing over and continues to run with it long into the future.”

Emer McGrath, Partner at KPMG added: “It was a huge honour for all of us at KPMG to be involved in today’s event and to help spread the message of 20×20 to more and more people. These past two years have been phenomenal for 20×20 and for all of us who are involved in sport in Ireland. We are thrilled to hear from the research that such strides have been made for women in sport in Ireland, and we pledge to continue to promote this message forward for many more years to come.”

Sonia O’Sullivan added : “20×20 has been a significant movement in Ireland not just for women, but for all of society. It is fantastic to hear that people’s perception of women in sport has changed over the past two years, and that is thanks to the fantastic work by everyone involved in sport to drive this message forward. Now, the future lies in our hands, and we all must take it upon ourselves to keep driving it forward, keep the coverage coming, keep attending women’s sporting events and keep participating.”

Visit the 20X20 website