May 27, 2013
Swim Ireland has teamed up with NUI Galway with a view to developing a new high performance analysis system for competitive swimming. The development work is well under way on the new system which utilises innovative kinematic sensing technology. The new technology which is in test mode is being designed to deliver performance information in real time both to the swimmer and his/her coach.
The technology is the brainchild of PhD student Robert Mooney who is a former Swim Ireland employee. The development team is led by Professor Gea
róid Ó Laighin of NUI Galway’s Discipline of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
Funding for the research is being provided both by Swim Ireland and by the Irish Research Council’s Enterprise Partnership Scheme. It is hoped to have the prototype system up and running by early 2014.
Once developed, the system will be tested on elite Irish swimmers to measure, record and track their technical improvements achieved with training. Athletes to be tested will include swimmers based at the recently established Swim Ireland Connacht Performance Centre, based at the Kingfisher facility on the NUI Galway campus and which was officially launched last November.
Lead researcher Robert Mooney commented: “A coach can often observe where improvements need to be made, but having hard evidence to back this up is key. We want to facilitate a new approach to swimming coaching, allowing for improved analysis of stroke mechanics, race performance and energy expenditure as well as real-time feedback to the swimmer, enabling more efficient, competitive and quantitative swim coaching.”![pr55259_[2]_MCM130412__506](https://irishsport.ie/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/pr55259_2_MCM130412__506-150x146.jpg)
“Any competitive swimmer will tell you just how demanding their sport is. In a sport of narrow margins where the difference between winning and not winning can be little as one one-hundredth of a second, the availability of the proposed system might make all the difference”, explains Professor Ó Laighin. “With this in mind we are capitalising on low-cost, high-performance Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMs) technology coupled with innovative algorithms to achieve our goals.”
Peter Banks is Performance Director with Swim Ireland, the national governing body for aquatic sports in Ireland. Banks is no stranger to success, having coached US swimmer Brooke Bennett to three gold medals at the 1996 and 2000 Olympic Games. “We have seen a marked increase in the success of Irish swimmers on the international stage in recent years, with medal winning performances by the likes of Gráinne Murphy, Sycerika McMahon and Melanie Nocher. This type of technology is very exciting for Irish swimming to be involved with, the project gives our coaches and swimmers an opportunity to learn more about how athletes perform in the training pool and helps us make more informed decisions around their training programmes.”
May 27, 2013
Rivamoto Honda and Jack Kennedy produced their best World Supersport championship result with a determined ride to 6th position in the 5th round of the championship at Donington Park this afternoon.
The result is all the more satisfying after the whole team worked flat out to solve a small fuelling problem which was uncovered in the morning warm up.
After battling hard for the podium in the early stages, Kennedys’ charge forwarded was hampered slightly by arm pump which prevented a last lap attack. Nevertheless Jack has once again shown his speed and both he and the team are delighted to have secured today’s result, their career best to date.
The team’s other rider Edik Blokhin retired from the race when he overheated the clutch at the start but is looking forward to the next race in Portugal in a fortnight.
Jack Kennedy – 6th position: “It was a good battle throughout the race. I’m really happy to get our best result in World Supersport here at Donington. I gave it my all and the Rivamoto Honda worked brilliantly. Arm pump towards the last couple of laps kind of stopped me from trying something at the end but it’s a great result and I want to thank the whole team. Roll on Portimao.”
Jeremy McWilliams – Team Manager: “We are all delighted with the result. We were up against it after the problem in the warm up but the whole team worked hard to give us the best chance. It was nerve wracking so close to the race as we needed to test Jack’s bike just before lining up on the grid. It’s not ideal riding with no morning warm up session to check changes and tyres, but once again Jack did a great job. In light of everything, I am really happy to get today’s result which is the best for team Rivamoto in World Supersport. Jack barely puts a foot wrong which is all we can ask for.”
Today’s result maintains Jack’s 9th position overall in the World Championship standings after 5 races.
May 24, 2013
The inaugural Federation of Irish Sport Conference was held on Tuesday 21st May 2013 and saw a coming together of representatives of Ireland’s sporting community at the Guinness Storehouse. Over 40 sports were represented at the event and distinguished guests also included the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport, the Irish Sports Council and the National Sports Campus Development Authority.
RTE’s Jacqui Hurley was MC for the event and the keynote address was delivered by Sir Keith Mills. The Federation of Irish Sport also took the opportunity to launch its new five year Strategic Plan which has as its central theme the potential of sport to contribute to a better Ireland. A lively panel discussion followed closing the session.
The conference finished off with a drinks reception and dinner for the delegates giving all present an opportunity to cement existing relationships and support new ones. The conference was supported BHP, Coca-Cola, Diageo, IPB and Shared Access with a number of exhibitors also attending.
The Federation’s aim for the conference was to bring representatives from the sporting community together as well as create some positivity around the potential of sport for Ireland. It was highly appropriate therefore that, Sir Keith Mills who served as Deputy Chair of the London Organising Committee for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and who more recently set up his own foundation, Sported, which looks to change the lives of Young People Through Sport, used his address to focus on ‘working together in sport’.
Sir Keith Mills emphasised the need for sport to demonstrate to stakeholders both public and private “why sport is important.” In particular, he stated the need to produce hard evidence of the social and economic benefits of sport as failing to do so will ensure that sport will continue to be bottom of the political agenda. He argued that there is a real need to prove to all funders that ‘prevention is better than cure’ and that investing in sport will have huge economic and social benefits.
Sir Keith referenced recent work of his own foundation Sported in this regard. Sported assists some 2,500 clubs across the UK including 150 in Northern Ireland which, look to use sport as tool to transform the lives of disadvantaged children. In particular, he referenced the recent results of a three year research project into sport for development which found that such work reduced the risk of young people becoming involved in alcohol and drugs misuse by 19%, in crime and anti-social behaviour by 15% and in improving health and well-being by 14%. The report also found that up to £4,000 per young person is saved by using sport as an intervention to tackle social problems. This evidence he said was crucial in Duetsche Bank coming on board as the foundation’s first corporate partner with the work of the foundation to date having been supported in its entirety by Sir Keith himself.
Sir Keith then used his experience first in winning the bid and then in delivering the London Games to demonstrate the importance of working together. In relation to the London Olympic and Paralympic Games bid process, Sir Keith outlined that in 2003 the UK were not in a good place to even make a bid. 13 other countries were bidding so it was a hugely competitive environment. Previous British bids had not had all the stakeholders behind the bid and the challenge therefore was to get all the bodies namely, government, the sporting agencies and indeed, the cultural sector to come together. Indeed, he said that the IOC feedback on why London was successful over the fancied Paris Bid was that the UK presented a united front. This was in contrast to the French where there were evident divisions between the French Olympic Committee and the Ministry for Sport.
Sir Keith also addressed the challenge of raising corporate support for sport. He reference the £1 billion secured from corporate partners for the Games but said the challenge for sport is to seek to maintain corporate funding in the aftermath of the Olympic and Paralympics. He talked about a project he was involved with called the ‘British Sports Marketing Bureau’ which would provide sporting bodies with the opportunity to pool commercial rights with a view to attracting an increased amount of corporate support for sport.
Sponsorship he noted had moved away from branding. One of the big lessons from the corporate investment for the London Games was the need for businesses to be sure that the investment would deliver on their corporate objectives. He reference BT’s investment of over £100 million which was aligned to their transition from a landline to broadband provider and the reality that the communications hub at Olympic Park would allow them to demonstrate to clients the quality of their produce and service in the most demanding of environments.
He also referenced the recent Premier League broadcast deal worth over £5 billion which sees the League sell their rights collectively with even the biggest sports brand in the world, Manchester United believing that by coming together with its “competitors” created a bigger opportunity than choosing to go it alone. Despite this and the reality that the creation of a British Sports Marketing Bureau would not inhibit sports from continuing to sell their rights individually support for the project from a number of sports bodies remained under discussion.
Sir Keith said he felt an element of this was that sport traditionally worked in silos. However, he feels that a cultural shift towards working more collaboratively as a sector would provide greater opportunities for sport collectively as well as facilitating the movement of sport up the political agenda. He said that he was working to see the UK government adopt a National Sports Strategy that would facilitate the bringing together of different government departments impacting on sport to deliver real change by working together – not something that government departments have traditionally done.
A full video of Sir Keith’s address can be viewed here
Alistair Gray followed Sir Keith to the podium and spoke about the ‘journey’ towards the publishing of the Federation’s new Strategic Plan and went through his long association with sport in Ireland stretching back to 2001. His work includes developing a High Performance Strategy for Irish Sport and working with the FAI, Cricket Ireland, the IRFU and Irish Boxing in developing various strategic reviews.
Alistair spoke about how sport in Ireland has progressed from being underdeveloped and underfunded before the establishment of the Irish Sports Council in 1999 to a position of achieving its best ever performance at the Olympics and increasing participation rates more recently.
He outlined how the Federation had made a similar journey from early beginnings in 2002 to more recent success in establishing Just Sport Ireland and the bringing of sport together in respect of the “Sport Matters” Campaigns. In assisting in the development of the Federation’s new strategic plan he outlined the wide and significant consultation process that had involved the member organisations, key stakeholders such as the Irish Sports Council and the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport as well as a “Vision Event” at which people from the media, sports industry and business were invited to attend.
Alistair concluded that he felt there was a special role for the Federation in bringing sport together on issues that would be of benefit to sport as a whole and ensure that the full potential of sport was maximised for the betterment of Irish Society.
A full video of Alistair’s presentation can be viewed here
Sarah O’ Connor, CEO of the Federation of Irish Sport then outlined the contents of the Strategic Plan in which the Federation sets out its vision to “to provide dynamic and effective voice for Irish Sport, promoting the value of sport to Ireland whilst providing outstanding representation and services to members.”
Sarah said that the Plan set out five Goals namely;
- To ensure that sport is recognised and use by government as a key tool in the creation of a better Ireland
- To increase the operational effectiveness of our members
- To be the independent and authoritative voice of Irish Sport
- To raise public awareness of the contribution of sport and the work of our members to Irish Society; and
- To strengthen resources through strategic partnerships
She then went on to outline a number of initiatives that the Federation would look to develop and initiate to facilitate the achievement of these goals. This includes the development of the Sport Matters Campaign beyond funding to other issues impacting on sport, the on-going development of the Federation’s public affairs function to include the establishment of a Friends of Sport Group within the Oireachtas, the development of media relations given the challenge of engaging the media on the wider impact of sport away from the “sporting activities”, the development of relevant group purchasing scheme such as the group insurance program which, to date has achieved savings of 23% on average for sporting bodies and the growth of services such as Just Sport Ireland.
Sarah also stated it is intended that the Conference would develop into an annual event which would serve as the culmination of a year round events programme including peer networks and relevant award schemes. The Federation also will look to serve as a bridge between sport and the business as well as the rest of the not-for-profit community with involvement in Coca-Cola’s thank you fund for example evidence of some progress on this to date. Sarah also highlighted the need for the Federation to be as well run an organisation as possible.
The Federation hoped that by 2017 significant progress would have been made in ensuring sport lay at the heart of government policy. Evidence of this would be a National Strategy around Sport but that this could only be achieved through sport coming together.
A full video of Sarah’s presentation can be viewed here
The theme of the panel discussion centred on ensuring ‘that sport is recognised by Government as a key tool in the creation of a better Ireland’ and was expertly hosted by Jacqui Hurley. Sir Keith spoke again about the importance of sport coming together as a group to put forward its views to government and indeed the Department responded positively to this suggestion from the floor. It was felt that key issues of common ground across all sporting bodies, such as Charitable Status for sport, should be presented to government through the Federation as the definitive ‘voice of Irish Sport’.
The full panel discussion can be viewed here
Conference Materials
Partners and Exhibitors
The event was made possible by the generous support of our partners: BHP Insurances, Coca-Cola Hellenic, Diageo Ireland, IPB Insurance, Shared Access.
We would also like to thank our exhibitors: Auxilion, BHP Insurances, CI Structures, Crowne Plaza Hotel Blanchardstown, Future Fit, McSport, MyClubFinances, OSK, Print Depot, Shared Access, and 2into3.
May 20, 2013
THE EVENT WAS STREAMED LIVE BY LIVESTREAM DIGITAL, on Tuesday 21st May
Watch the conference contributors and debate here:
Part 1 – Sir Keith Mills, keynote speech, ‘working together in sport’ – http://youtu.be/i4CL407pSQI
Part 2 – Alistair Gray, Renaissance, Strategic Plan, ‘the journey’ – http://youtu.be/nxMggfYVhiQ
Part 3 – Sarah O’ Connor, CEO, Strategic Plan, ‘document and objectives’- http://youtu.be/hiQ0Sgjkya4
Part 4 – Panel Discussion, with speakers including Darren O’Neill – http://youtu.be/twYZqxWTzyg
May 20, 2013
INFORMATION
One day to go!
Over 60 Irish sporting organisations and corporate partners are attending the Federation’s inaugural Conference at the Guinness Storehouse tomorrow.
Here is some more information on the event:
Address:
Guinness Storehouse
Level 2, Arrol Suite
St James’ Gate,
Dublin 8
Schedule:
3:00pm Conference commences
(2.45pm Registration)
5:30pm Drinks reception
7:00pm Dinner
Directions to the Guinness Storehouse: there are a number of ways to get to the Guinness Storehouse: on foot, by public transport or car. More detail on each of these options can be found on the Guinness website here
Parking: there is limited parking available in the Crane Street parking lot and on-street parking in the area around the Storehouse – Thomas Street, Echlin Street, Bond Street and Robert Street South.
NB: there are no parking stations in the area open after 7pm.
Access: to the Storehouse is via the public entrance on Market Street. This area is a drop-off zone only. Disabled Access is available beside main entrance on Robert Street.
Ticket: don’t forget to bring your ticket to show on registration and be there at 2.45-3:00pm sharp.
Accommodation: if you need accommodation for the night, contact the Crowne Plaza Blanchardstown to take advantage of the Federation’s corporate rate: 01-8977721.
Additional requirements: If you have any dietary or accessibility requirements send them to Stacey at info@irishsport.ie
PARTNERS
The Federation is grateful for the support of the Conference from the our event partners:
BHP Insurances– BHP have been appointed by the Federation to develop and manage a bespoke Insurance Scheme for Federation member organisations, their clubs and individual participants. BHP are an Irish owned insurance broker specialising in the development of Group Insurance Schemes. Since their appointment in 2012 BHP have arranged the insurances for a large and growing number of Federation members.
Coca-Cola Ireland– Coca-Cola Hellenic Ireland is Ireland’s leading non-alcoholic drinks company and employs 900 people in the manufacturing, distribution and marketing of a premium range of full, low and zero calorie soft drinks, juices, bottled waters and still beverages. Coca-Cola Hellenic Ireland is a founding member of Business in the Community and supports active balanced lifestyles across the island of Ireland at local and national level through an annual programme of sponsorships and corporate social responsibility.
Diageo Ireland– In 2012 Diageo Ireland donated over €1m to charities, community groups and social entrepreneurs across Ireland through initiatives such as the Arthur Guinness Fund, Gifted, and Double Your Fundraising. In addition to this, Diageo Ireland supports many community and sporting organisations and events in Ireland.
IPB Insurance– ipb.ie- As a wholly Irish owned and managed general insurance company, IPB Insurance is proud to be the leading insurer in protecting local communities across the length and breadth of Ireland. We serve local authorities and national government bodies as well as underwriting risk for private commercial businesses, expert representative bodies and associations. IPB is an award winning insurance company and official underwriter to Irish Sport through the FIS Group Insurance scheme.
Shared Access– Shared Access invest in the development and ownership of shared wireless communications infrastructure on grass roots Sports Clubs across the Country, bringing great site locations to our Mobile Network Operator customers, and the benefits of significant investment into national communities. Visit our website for more information.
EXHIBITORS
The Federation is also delighted that a number of businesses have committed to exhibit at the conference, evidence of the important role sport plays in Ireland’s business life:
Auxilion– is an IT support and cloud transformation company. We take over our clients’ end-to-end IT support function and deliver an enhanced support service for end users through the Auxilion Virtual Service Desk. Clients include Mainstream Renewable Power, All Water Systems, I.T. Alliance Group and the National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) where we provide IT support services for 18 Irish sporting bodies. Visit our website for more information on Auxilion, our 24×7 support service and other services.
CI Structures Ltd- is a Manufacturers Representative for the Sprung building system which is effectively a substitute for conventional bricks and mortar. CI Structures can offer assistance to interested parties for the purchase or lease of a Sprung building and also offers a full planning, design, supply, erection and fit out service to clients – a turnkey service – for the Spung building system.
Crowne Plaza Hotel– The Crowne Plaza Hotel Blanchardstown is a luxurious four star hotel, located at the Blanchardstown Centre, just minutes from the National Sports Campus. With 188 rooms and 14 meeting rooms accommodating up to a maximum of 600 delegates, the hotel is perfectly suited for meetings, conferences, events and gala dinners.
McSport– have been supplying sporting equipment to Irish sportsmen and women for over 25 years and prides itself in selecting only the finest sports goods from around the world. McSport stocks a wide range of easy-to-use sports gear that will keep everyone from the seasoned sportsman to the amateur kitted out. View the product range on our website.
FutureFit– passionately believes in the importance of sport, but recognise that without tackling the issue of sustainability and cutting energy costs sport at all levels faces the possibility of becoming a pastime for the select few, rather than the community as a whole. FutureFit achieves this through training and education and innovative energy efficiency technology and finance. Contact Paul O’Connor on 0863433368 or paul@futurefit.ie for further information.
MyClubFinances.com- is an integrated communications and fundraising Internet platform for sports organisations. There are currently over 700 sports clubs and NGB’s in Ireland using our low cost, 100% money back guaranteed system, to make their lives easier and their management, fundraising and communications more effective – ask us how and we can arrange a demonstration. Visit our website for more information.
OSK– established in 1985 are one of Ireland’s leading Accountancy firms and provide a full range of financial and advisory services to clients in a broad range of sectors. OSK are passionate about sport and have a history of providing quality service and advice to Sporting Organisations. OSK’s specialist knowledge of this sector’s financial requirements combined with their practical approach ensures that clients receive expert advice and service.
Print Depot– is a design and print company specialising in making their clients look great in print. One of the most trusted names for print in Ireland, we provide small, medium and large-sized companies with their complete communication requirements. We can design and supply everything from a simple compliments slip to in-store point of sale materials and promotional products.
2into3– are Ireland’s specialist advisors and capacity builders for the not-for-profit sector. We work with social sector leaders and collaborate with partners to help scale impact, develop sustainability, build leadership and innovate. For more information about the work of 2into3 visit our website
Spend some time with our partners and exhibitors to understand more about their business and what they could do for you. The exhibition space will be located just after the registration desk inside the Arrol Suite.
OTHER BUSINESSES ATTENDING THE EVENT
Leman Solicitors– is corporate law firm based in Dublin 4 which are specialists in Sports Law. They are the Irish Sports Law Firm of the Year, 2011 and 2013. They represent NGB’s clubs and athletes and are experienced in corporate structuring, governance, complaints and discipline, arbitration and sponsorship. For more information see our website or contact Larry Fenelon on 016393000.
May 3, 2013
Triathlon Ireland is delighted to have been affiliated to Paralympics Ireland at their recent AGM held in Dublin.
With paratriathlon set to form part of the Rio 2016 Olympics, Triathlon Ireland are keen to develop the sport and identify and support athletes both at an age group level and those with hopes of representing Ireland at the Olympic Games.
Triathlon Ireland’s newly appointed president Locklann Walsh was on hand to thank Paralympics Ireland for accepting Triathlon Ireland into the Paralympic family.
“We are very excited to be a part of the Paralympics family and see great potential in growing paratriathlon in the future. 2012 was the first running of a Paratriathlon National Championships in Ireland and while there were a small number of participants it marked an important step in our development. This year again we will host the National Championships in Athlone and expect to see a large growth in the number taking part.”
“Just last weekend in the first Vodafone National Series race of the season we were inspired to see paratriathlete Tadhg Kenehan complete the tough sprint distance race in 1hr 38mins.”
“Meanwhile visually impaired triathlete Nicolas Dwaque was representing Ireland in San Diego where he picked up a silver medal.”
With a real opportunity of paratriathletes bringing back medals from Rio 2016, building on the work already done at age group and high performance level is a priority for Triathlon Ireland. Paralympics Ireland had an impressive haul of 16 medals in London and we believe there are paratriathletes out there who can help add to this total.
The Paratriathlon National Championships takes place in Athlone on the 6th of July. Details can be found on www.triathlonireland.com
Image attached FOC:
Visually impaired triathlete Tony Ward with guide Mark Riseley at the inaugural Paratriathlon National Championships in Athlone.
Video Footage:
Highlights of the 2012 Olympic Distance and Paratriathlon National Championships here
Tony Ward, 2012 Paratriathlon National Champion Interview here
róid Ó Laighin of NUI Galway’s Discipline of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.![pr55259_[2]_MCM130412__506](https://irishsport.ie/wpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/pr55259_2_MCM130412__506.jpg)
