Surprise as good relations between sports bodies reported

MEMBERS OF the Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Sport,Tourism, Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs have expressed major surprise that a sports governing body did not criticise the Irish Sports Council when it addressed them yesterday.

The Paralympic Council of Ireland told deputies and senators that it had a very good working relationship with the Irish Sports Council. Its chief executive Liam Harbison said “our progress in many areas has been directly linked to the increasing support of the Irish Sports Council”.

Almost every deputy and senator at the meeting expressed surprise at this. Fine Gael senator Jerry Buttimer said it was “breathtaking” to hear of a sports governing body that was happy the Irish Sports Council.

Fine Gael deputy John O’Mahony said the Paralympic Council of Ireland would be the envy of other governing bodies.

Previous committee meetings have heard of differences between the Irish Sports Council and other sports bodies, such as the Olympic Council of Ireland.

Mr Harbison said the Paralympic Council of Ireland had been following the committee’s work and had noted negative aspects raised by some organisations. “We have a model that works,” he said. These positive aspects of the high performance system should be brought to the table, he added.

The Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) is a high performance sports body for athletes with physical disabilities. Mr Harbison said the PCI’s targets for the London 2012 Paralympic Games had been revised upwards, following the success of its athletes in Beijing.

Ireland won five medals, including three gold in the Beijing Paralympics. It had 22 finalists in range of sports. Its target had been four medals and 12 finalists.

An independent review commissioned by the Irish Sports Council has increased the target to five medals in London, including three golds. The review also sought an increase in the number of sports which win medals; an increase in the number of individual athletes who win medals; and an increase in the percentage of sports which improve on Beijing.

In a statement presented to the committee members, Mr Harbison said these new targets “significantly raise the bar for the PCI” but the council had accepted them wholeheartedly.PCI president James Gradwell said Ireland had traditionally punched above its weight at the Paralympic Games.

Earlier committee members passed their good wishes to new chairman, Fianna Fáil deputy Tom Kitt, who replaces Pat “The Cope” Gallagher following his election to the European Parliament.