Jul 30, 2019
It was a busy summer for the Special Olympics Ireland World Summer Games golfers as they were invited to both the Irish Open in Lahinch and The Open in Portrush.
Team Ireland Gold medallists John Keating and Mark Claffey, both from Dublin were joined by teammates Mairead Moroney (Co. Clare) and Simon Lowry (Co. Galway) in Lahinch as they received a rapturous applause from the packed stands. Introduced by Paul McGinley, their achievements in Abu Dhabi were called out to the crowds and each athlete introduced one by one.
Earlier in the morning they caught up with Special Olympics Global Ambassador Padraig Harrington who had taken time out with the Team Ireland golf squad to provide some hints and tips ahead of their unforgettable journey to Abu Dhabi in March.
Dubliner, Mark Claffey and Jill Connery from Co. Armagh then travelled to Portrush where they enjoyed watching some of the biggest names in golf on the final practice day on Wednesday 17th July.
Claffey is no stranger to the limelight following his international gold medal success; the Dubliner captured hearts across Ireland and beyond during the World Games when a video of the moment he found out he won Gold went viral. During his visit to The Open, he was back online to send a special good luck message to his hero, Shane Lowry, as he made his final preparations to compete in the historic tournament.
In a video message published on the Special Olympics Ulster Facebook and Twitter feeds, golf gold medallist, Claffey, joined by Team Ireland teammate Jill Connery predicted that Lowry would take home the Claret jug: “I think my favourite guy; my best friend, Shane Lowry will win The Open; try your best Shane Lowry, I love you so much, I know you’ll try your best; do it for me, I know you can do it!”
Commenting after the event, Emma McMenamin, head of delegation for Team Ireland said: “It was fantastic for our athletes to be invited to The Open, and to see the best in the world competing at this level. Having travelled to Abu Dhabi to represent Ireland at the Special Olympics World Games, they are just coming back down to earth; representing your country is the biggest honour for any sportsperson and it was a great experience to be at The Open for this historic moment for golf in Northern Ireland.
“This is a huge golfing nation and to see The Open return here for the first time, and to see these big names in action on home turf, has been hugely inspiring to all of our athletes.
“Golf is large and growing sport for Special Olympics in Ireland; buoyed by the profile the sport has gained in recent years, through the success of golfers such as Harrington, Lowry, McIlroy, Clarke and McDowell. Our athletes have made a big impression on and off the course in recent years, and as well as the opportunity to compete on a regional, national and international level, Special Olympics is promoting inclusion in sport and social inclusion particularly; giving our athletes a chance to make new friends, gain confidence and improve their social skills.”
Team Ireland golfers and results.
They returned with: 4 gold, 1 silver and 1 x 4th placement ribbon.
• John Keating (26) from Dublin. – Gold – 18 holes
• Mark Claffey (29) from Dublin. – Gold – 9 holes
• Andrew Simington (30) Dublin. – Gold – Team event
• Mairead Moroney (69), Ennis, Co Clare. – Silver – Team event
• Simon Lowry, aged 27 from Loughrea, Co Galway.- Gold – 18 holes
• Jill Connery (33) from Scarva, Co. Armagh – 4th Placement Ribbon – 9 holes
Jul 30, 2019
The pool and the track provided a fantastic medal haul for the Irish contingent at the European Youth Olympic Festival. Rhasidat Adeleke and Molly Mayne brought home thre medals between them. Adeleke took gold in both the 100m and 200m finals while Mayne won a bronze medal in the Girl’s 200m Breaststroke at the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) in Baku.
Gymnasts Caoimhe Donohoe and Eve McKibbin also made their EYOF debut in Baku. The youngest members of Team Ireland, savouring the occasion. From Galway, Donohoe finished 63rd in the All Around – scoring particularly high in the beam with 11.80, ranked 28th. Eve McGibbon competed in the Floor Routine only, where she finished 75th. This year’s event for the gymnasts was all about gaining experience, and both of them relished the experience. “The floor went really well, considering yesterday in the podium it wasn’t the best,” Donohoe said after the competition. “I was able to land my double back which was a big thing for me. My beam went really well, I was happy with the beam.”
Back on the track Sean Donoghue finished 6th in the Boy’s 1500m, knocking three seconds off his personal best time, crossing the line in 3.58.15. In athletics Aimee Hayde finished sixth in the 800m Final.
The EYOF is a European event for athletes aged 14-18 that runs every two years, and Team Ireland is represented by thirty-two athletes across five sports. Baku is hosting the 2019 edition which runs from the 21 – 27 July.
Jul 30, 2019
Following the final two races at the Laser Radial World Championship this morning (Wednesday 24 July 2019 – Sakaiminato, Japan), Ireland has qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Sailing regatta in the women’s single-handed event.
The berth was secured by Lough Derg Yacht Club’s Aisling Keller (Nenagh, Co. Tipperary) who had her best day in the Gold fleet final series to finish 46th overall.
“This is a weight off my shoulders for sure, it’s probably the hardest regatta I’ve ever sailed,” Keller said. “To come in off the water and know that it’s done and dusted is just amazing (I’m) so happy.”
Howth Yacht Club’s Aoife Hopkins placed 48th and both Irish sailors were inside the qualification criteria with Keller taking the seventh of ten nation places decided at the championship. Hopkins would otherwise have been in the ninth nation place.
“It’s been a really long road to this moment. We’ve been working for a year towards this event particularly and even longer towards Olympic qualification,” said Hopkins. “It’s really nice to come away with the outcome we wanted.”
The world championship was won by Denmark’s Anne-Marie Rindom who led overall going into to the final day of Gold fleet racing on Wednesday. Ten nation places for Tokyo 2020 were also decided at the event in addition to the 20 already won in 2018.
“Qualification was something that had to happen so that ended up being the focus here at the end of the regatta,” said Rory Fitzpatrick, Irish Sailing’s Head Coach. “Next we go to the Olympic venue (at) Enoshima… now that we know we’re going to be there (at the Games) we’ve got to make the most of it.”
The sailing venue for next year’s Olympic regatta will host national representatives in all events next month for a scheduled test series for competitors and organisers alike.
“Aisling, Aoife and Rory have worked hard to get this far. It is fantastic to know we will be on the Olympic start line. The next phase is Olympic preparation and the bar gets set even higher for that, there are bigger performances to come from these two athletes” commented James O’Callaghan, Irish Sailing’s Performance Director. “The coming 12 months are critical to unlock potential but with support from Sport Ireland and the Irish Sailing Foundation, we are determined to give them the best chance for success.”
Ends
Jul 30, 2019
The Federation of Irish Sport is delighted to announce Future Ticketing as its latest partner. The cloud-based ticketing provider have signed a three-year deal with the Federation. The partnership is the latest in a suite of partners that offer essential services to benefit some 106 sporting associations that are represented by the Federation.
Future Ticketing, who count Connacht Rugby, Shamrock Rovers, Paralympics Ireland, Trinity College and the National Aquatic Centre among its current clientele, offer cloud-based ticket and registration management software catering for audiences from 50 to 50,000. The system allows for full control of ticket sales from the organisations own website and cuts out the need for a third-party provider.
Commenting on the announcement, Federation of Irish Sport CEO, Mary O’Connor said “We’re delighted to have Future Ticketing on board as a partner of the Federation. They offer a service that we know will benefit many of our members with their event and ticket management. By using Future Ticketing’s dashboard, sporting bodies will be able to better plan, forecast, sell and review the ticketing for their events – whether that’s a small-scale workshop, a park run, a conference or a large-scale stadium match. Based in Ireland, the team at Future Ticketing are ready and willing to meet with organisations and find the best custom fit solution for them. We look forward to working with them for the next three years”.
Future Ticketing will be on hand to work with Federation members on their bespoke ticketing needs, whether that’s for international competition or course registration.
Liam Holton, CEO of Future Ticketing said “Future Ticketing is delighted to be involved with the Federation of Irish Sport. From Horse Racing to Football to Paralympics to Hockey to Gymnastics, sport is in our veins. We love to work alongside sporting bodies to make ticketing seamless for both staff and customers from the first sale right up to access control of your event.”
For any further enquiries about the services of Future Ticketing please contact Ronan Burns at ronan@futureticketing.ie
Jul 18, 2019
- Research to evaluate value of sport to the economy first major evaluation study since 2010
- Irish sports industry supports 40,000 jobs, stimulates €1.9 billion in household spending, and generates €1 billion in tourism receipts each year
The Federation of Irish Sport is partnering with specialist bank Investec to undertake a body of research to capture the economic value and impact of sport in Ireland.
The Federation of Irish Sport is the representative organisation for the National Governing Bodies of Sport (NGBs) and the Local Sports Partnerships (LSPs) in Ireland. The Federation’s membership consists of over 100 NGBs and LSPs from all 32 counties, including the GAA, FAI, IRFU, Swim Ireland and Athletics Ireland.
The research, which will be led by Investec Ireland’s award-winning economic research team, will evaluate the value of sport to the economy, government, social welfare and volunteering, as well as its health and social benefits.
Sport is believed to be worth in excess of €2.4 billion to the Exchequer; supports more than 40,000 jobs (2013) and generates €1 billion in tourism receipts annually. According to a 2018 Onside Report, the sports sponsorship market has grown from €75 million in 2009 to €140 million in 2018, representing an 87% increase over ten years.
The wider sports community is complemented by an additional 450,000 volunteers whose contribution in economic terms is between €322 million and €582 million annually, based on data dating back to 2010.
In 2010 the Irish Sports Council commissioned the Indecon Report to assess the economic impact of sport in Ireland. The report concluded that following a total state investment of €618.3 million in 2008, the Exchequer received €922.7 million in taxes from sports-related activity. In effect, for every €100 invested by the Government, it received €149 in sports-related taxes.
The Irish Sports Policy 2018–2027, published in July 2018, saw the Government pledge to double sports funding from €111 million per year to €220 million over a ten-year period, including an 11% increase in capital funding in the 2019 Budget.
Speaking about the new study Federation of Irish Sport CEO, Mary O’Connor said;
“It is nine years since the sports community last undertook a piece of research of this scale. All economic indicators suggest sport’s economic value to Ireland has grown significantly in the intervening period. Sponsorship money has nearly doubled, tourism receipts are up, more adults are participating in organised sport than ever before, volunteer numbers continue to grow and attendances at major sports events remain buoyant.
“To this end, we are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with Investec to identify the economic impact and economy value of sport to Ireland in 2019, and to understand how it feeds into the economic vibrancy of other stands of the economy, including tourism and hospitality, retail, health and wellbeing and fitness.
“In July 2018, the Irish Government published its National Sports Policy 2018-2027. Included in this was a commitment to double investment in sport from €111 million to on to €222 million annually over the next ten years We believe that the outcome of the study will endorse the government’s decision to make this investment which is of course also an investment in the future health and wellbeing of our people.
This Government investment will help give Irish sport the necessary building blocks to further develop its economic footprint in Ireland, by improving sporting infrastructures and growing its participation rates, which will in turn create further opportunities for corporate investment, sponsorship and collaboration.”
The Investec research findings will be published in September 2019.
ENDS
Jul 15, 2019
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