The Federation of Irish Sport honoured the dedication and service to Sport of John Treacy, CEO of Sport Ireland as an Outstanding Contribution recipient for 2021.
Irish Sport Industry Innovation Series Outstanding Contribution Recipients
The honour, which usually forms part of the Irish Sport Industry Awards, hosted by the Federation of Irish Sport, were this year included in the insightful and engaging online Irish Sport Industry Innovation Series which replaced the awards in springtime of 2021 due to the pandemic restrictions. This year there were two recipients of the Outstanding Contribution Award. The Federation of Irish Sport is now pleased to announce the second winner of the Outstanding Contribution Award, John Treacy, CEO of Sport Ireland. He was presented with his certificate for Outstanding Contribution and service to Sport by Mary O’Connor, CEO Federation of Irish Sport at the Sport Ireland HQ at the National Sports Campus in Abbottstown.
Fellow recipient of the 2021 accolade Georgina Drumm received her award in April of this year as part of the series. Georgina made history as the first female president of Athletics Ireland in 2016 after a long history of roles within the sport Under her stewardship Athletics Ireland saw female membership increase by 20,000 between 2008 and today.
Speaking about the worthy recipient, Federation of Irish Sport Chairperson Clare McGrath said, “Our sector is built on the dedication and hard work of so many individuals who turn their passion for their sport or activity into a life of service. Our Outstanding Contribution recipient epitomises that and we are delighted to be able to recognise his efforts. While we chose not to host our Irish Sport Industry Awards this year, we felt it was appropriate and indeed necessary to continue the tradition of the Outstanding Contribution award. I am delighted as Chairperson to be able to spotlight and honour the work of John”.
The legacy of John Treacy’s work in leading Sport Ireland and overseeing the substantial change of both high performance and local sport in Ireland will live on long into the future.
From his days as a cross country runner from Villierstown, becoming the first back to back world cross country champion, through his incredible marathon silver medal at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles just days after finishing 9th in the 10,000 meters, John Treacy has been a leading light in Irish sport for over 40 years now.
While he will always be known to the general public for his athletic prowess, to those in the business of sports administration he is known for his leadership of Sport Ireland (previously the Irish Sports Council) from its inception in 1999. While he brought a much-needed focus on High Performance in Irish sport, it was his work in the formation of the local sports partnerships in 2000 which has had perhaps the most substantial impact on sport in the community.