11/02/2010 - Winter Sports: IPC announce coverage of the Winter Paralympics in Vancouver on Paralympicsport.TV

ParalympicSport.TV, the International Paralympic Committee's (IPC) Internet TV channel, will be offering the most comprehensive live coverage ever of the Paralympic Winter Games.

ParalympicSport.TV will broadcast from the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games everyday from 12-21 March 2010. All Paralympic sports will be covered in the programming, either live or delayed. This coverage will also be made available as Video on Demand (VOD) after the events on www.ParalympicSport.TV .

For a sneak preview of what will be available on the IPC's Internet TV channel, ParalympicSport.TV has just released its first trailer promoting the coverage of the Vancouver Paralympics on www.youtube.com/paralympicsporttv .

In addition, highlights will be available on YouTube and can be viewed on www.youtube.com/paralympicsporttv . The IPC has recently integrated YouTube video clips onto the official IPC website www.paralympic.org in order to increase the access to Paralympic Sport for fans all around the world. Paralympic fans can now easily inform themselves about the Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Movement, as well as watch Paralympic video clips without any trouble.

The Paralympic Games and the Paralympic Movement have also been fully integrated into Facebook. Users can simply become a fan of ParalympicSport.TV on www.Facebook.com and receive daily updates with all the happenings in Vancouver and the daily competition schedule. It is a fantastic way to stay informed throughout the duration of the Winter Games!

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10/02/2010 - First Team 2012 Camp to take place in Limerick from April 8th-11th

The Irish Team at the last Limerick camp in August 2008

PCI are delighted to publish the programme for the first TEAM 2012 CAMP in the build up the the 2012 London Paralympic Games.  This multisport training camp will take place from Thursday April 8th to Sunday April 11th in Limerick.  This cycle marks the fourth quadrennial in which the PCI have located their Irish training base in Limerick using the excellent facilities on offer at the University of Limerick.

A no. of changes have been initiated at this camp arising from evaluation of the camps in the Beijing cycle.  The camp has moved it's accommodation base from the City Centre to the Carlton Castletroy Park Hotel, which is located close to the gates of the University of Limerick.  In addition, PCI will be providing a Team Lounge space at our domestic camps in this cycle in order to provide greater recreation opportunities to athletes during any down time on camp.  The most significant change however is the reduction in the no. of training sessions with the emphasis now being on a team development camp rather than a multisport training camp.  Athletes will still however have a minimum of three training sessions with their squad during the camp.

The Team 2012 Camp is open to athletes on the 2010 PCI Panel.  Athletes should have received the invitation to participate and are requested to return their acceptance forms to PCI as soon as possible. 

To view the Team 2012 Camp Programme overview, click here.

A more detailed camp schedule is available in spreadsheet format by clicking here.

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05/02/2010 - Swimming: Irish Team selection criteria for 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships published

The PCI in partnership with Paralympic Swim Ireland today published the selection criteria for the Irish Team for the 2010 IPC Swimming World Championships.  The Irish team will consist of 8 athletes and will be selected in June 2010.  The event takes place in Eindhoven, The Netherlands in late August.

Click here to download the selection criteria document.

 

 

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04/02/2010 - PCI announce 57 athletes in 9 sports on 2010 PCI Panels

The Paralympic Council of Ireland today announced the names of a total of 57 athletes from 9 sports who will represent the 2010 PCI Panels.  This panel is the first one to be announced by PCI in the build up to the 2012 London Paralympic Games.  These 57 athletes will now become the focus of preparations for London Games, commencing with their invitation to participate at the first Team 2012 training camp due to take place in Limerick from 8th-11th April.

The list of athletes contains many experienced Paralympians as well as athletes setting out on their own journey to the Paralympic Games for the first time.  Included in the list are Beijing medal winners Jason Smyth (athletics), Michael McKillop (athletics) and Gabriel Shelly (boccia).

The panel also includes athletes from disciplines hoping to be represented on the Irish Paralympic Team for the first time such as rowing and hand cycling.

The panels are open-ended with athletes to be added subject to achievement of agreed criteria between the sport and the PCI. 

The 2010 PCI Panel will also represent PCI's Registered Testing Pool with the anti-doping authorities of the Irish Sports Council and the international Paralympic Committee.

The full list of athletes are as follows:

Athletics:
Jason Smyth, Michael McKillop, Ailish Dunne, Orla Barry*, Garrett Culliton*, John McCarthy*, Eoin Cleare*, Catherine Wayland*, Rosemary Tallon*, Lorraine Regan*, Jamie Boyle*

*All subject to publication of IPC World Championship qualifying standards.

Boccia:
Gabriel Shelly, Padraic Moran, Tom Leahy, Roberta Connolly, Jason Kearney, John Cronin, Gerard O'Grady

Cycling:
Cathal Miller, Enda Smyth, Michael Delaney, Con Collis (P), Catherine Walsh, Mark Rohan, Karol Doherty

Equestrian:
James Dwyer, Eilish Byrne, Kathryn Wheelock, Breda Bernie, Helen Kearney

Football 7:
Paul Dollard, Aidan Brennan, James Murrihy, Darren Kavanagh, Mark Jones, Luke Evans, Brian McGillivary, Kieran Devlin, Finbarr O’Riordan, Gary Messett, Joseph Markey, Dara Snell

Rowing:
Kevin DuToit, Shane Ryan, Sarah Caffrey, Katie George-Dunleavy, Emer Patten, Vincent Culhane, Karen Cromie, Karol Doherty, Anne Marie McDaid

Sailing:
John Twomey
(additional two crew members to be confirmed)

Swimming:
Ellen Keane, Stephen Campbell, James Scully, Gina Lourens

Table Tennis:
Kathleen Reynolds, Rena McCarron

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03/02/2010 - New PCI Participant Rules and PCI Disciplinary Procedures come into effect today

New rules for participation in PCI events came into effect today following the conclusion of a lengthy process of review by the Board of Directors over the last 8 months.  From now on, all individuals invited to participate in PCI events by PCI will have to be bound by the PCI Participant Rules and accept the provisions of the PCI Disciplinary Procedures. 

The process of accepting the rules will be rolled out by PCI in the coming weeks.  Athletes on the 2010 PCI Panel (to be announced tomorrow) will be invited to accept their place on the panel and at the first Team 2012 Camp in Limerick by submitting a completed acceptance form to PCI.  As athletics and swimming are IPC Sports, all athletes on Paralympic Athletics Ireland or Paralympic Swim Ireland Senior or Potential panels will also be required to sign up to the new rules prior to their next involvement with the respective programmes.

Sports staff and sports science and medical service providers will be contacted over the coming weeks with regard to signing up to the rules.

In accordance with the provisions of the PCI Disciplinary Procedures, PCI will shortly be appointing a Disciplinary Officer who will handle all complaints or alleged violations under these rules.  PCI will also be seeking expressions of interest from individuals with a legal or sports background to sit on the PCI Disciplinary Panel for a four year term.

The PCI Participant Rules and the PCI Disciplinary Procedures are subject to amendment from time to time.  The most up to date versions along with the acceptance forms are available on this website www.pcireland.ie/policies.php

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03/02/2010 - Paralympian commences position with Microsoft under Irish Institute of Sport Career Development Programme

Two of Ireland's outstanding sports people have begun careers with Microsoft as part of an innovative Institute of Sport Career Athlete Development Programme which matches high performance athletes with employers.  Mark Christie (Athletics Ireland) and Stephen Campbell (PCI/Irish Blind Sports) are the first athletes to emerge from the programme which aims to secure flexible employment for high performance athletes, giving them the opportunity to commence a career, while maintaining the unique lifestyle required for elite competition.  

At the placement announcement at Microsoft today where (L to R): Gary Keegan (IIS), Fiona Mullan (Microsoft), Stephen Campbell and Liam Harbison (PCI)

The Institute's Athlete Lifestyle Programmes, which commenced in May 2008, have provided direct support to more than 200 athletes in career, education and lifestyle support. The Career Development Programme gives them the opportunity to lead a more balanced lifestyle which in turn has a positive impact on their sports performance.   It is also part of a drive to ensure that athletes develop skills for the workplace that they will use following their athletic career.

Mark Christie, a 25 year old middle distance runner from Mullingar, is currently in training for European Athletic Championships in August. He started in Microsoft in May as a license auditor in the finance department, where he works 3 days a week, which is designed to dovetail with his training programme and supports him to compete for Ireland on the international stage.  Mark's long term goal is to represent Ireland at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

Stephen Campbell is a 23 year Paralympic swimmer from Cookstown, Co. Tyrone. Stephen lost his sight at 16 years of age but went on to study Multimedia Computer Design at the University of Ulster.  Stephen will be starting with Microsoft in July in a Project Management Internship Role in the European Development Centre working across the Windows Live, Entertainment & Devices, and Office teams in a part-time capacity. Stephen is currently in training for the World Swimming Championships in August and aims to represent Ireland at the 2012 Paralympic Games.

Fiona Mullan, HR Director,  Microsoft Ireland said, "We are delighted to have Mark and Stephen on board.  Mark has already proved himself an invaluable member of the team and we're looking forward to working with Stephen when he joins us in July.  At first glance the synergies between a multinational corporation and the Institute of Sport might not be readily apparent but we are both focused on building high performance organisations through respect for results, progress, innovation and long-term thinking. The Institute of Sport supports the development of high performance sports people; we support high performance business people.  The drive that creates great athletes is the same that drives people to successful careers and so we've leant a huge amount from each other over the past number of months and look forward to developing the relationship further.  Much of our business success comes from having an incredibly diverse workforce, so to have employees with different training backgrounds like Mark and Stephen working with us is a major bonus for Microsoft Ireland."

Gary Keegan, Director, Institute of Sport said, "Since May 2009, we have developed a very fruitful and highly productive relationship with Microsoft Ireland. The relationship is built upon a deep appreciation of people and the environment that is needed in order to create top performance. We aim to support our athletes by placing them into a high performing workplace culture that understands the challenges in becoming a podium performer. Microsoft has demonstrated a real desire to assist our athletes in managing the balance between work life and the demands of training and competition.  We hope to expand our athlete career development programme in 2010 and we invite companies to partner with us in our mission."

Both Mark Christie and Stephen Campbell have joined the Intern Programme at Microsoft Ireland under which long-term potential is a key criterion for candidate selection.  Chosen from a pool of candidates put forward by the Institute of Sport, they went through the Microsoft Ireland selection process to assess their talents, skills, and potential.  The programme includes cross-site training, mentoring/buddy system and technical trainings. 

(Info Source: Irish Institute of Sport)

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01/02/2010 - Job Vacancy: PCI is seeking to fill the post of Head of Paralympic Athletics

The Paralympic Council of Ireland in association with Paralympic Athletics Ireland (PAI) is seeking to appoint a Head of Paralympic Athletics. 

The job holder will be responsible for implementing the High Performance Programme for Paralympic athletics leading to the 2012 London Paralympic Games. This includes the management of Paralympic Athletics Ireland squads with special emphasis on the development and implementation of a high performance coaching plan.

The Head of Paralympic Athletics will report to the Paralympic Performance Director of the Paralympic Council of Ireland and among the key tasks will be required to:

• Develop, implement and monitor the High Performance Plan and appropriate pathway for Paralympic athletics in agreement with PAI and the Paralympic Performance Director.

• Conduct a full needs assessment of all athletes on the senior panel and take steps to address any gaps in high performance coaching support.

• Manage and coordinate coaching support and other support staff members for all events and activities within the performance plan including Senior & Potential panel events, and logistical coordination of same.

• Identify appropriate support staff personnel to support the development of PAI squads.

Applicants should have:

• Proven ability in the management of squads.

• Athletics coaching qualification of level 3 or above and can clearly    

• demonstrate an ability to successfully monitor the appropriateness of coaching support to athletes on the programme.

• Recent track record of working at elite level with athletes and squads.

• Ability to be adaptable and to perform in a pressurised setting to strict targets and deadlines.

• A clear understanding and commitment to Anti-Doping in sport.

Salary:                    20,000 Euro pro rata per annum

Contract type:        Fixed Term Contract on a part-time basis for 20 months with the potential for renewal up to Dec. 2012, subject to performance.

Base location:        Dublin (flexible working options are negotiable).  Due to extensive travel involved, a clean current full driving licence and own car is essential.

Applications by post, email or fax, with current Curriculum Vitae by 5pm, Monday February 22nd, 2010 to:  

Chief Executive Officer,
Paralympic Council of Ireland,
Sport HQ, Joyce Way,
Parkwest Business Park,
Clondalkin, Dublin 12

Email: info@pcireland.ie

Fax: 01-6251176

A full role description for the position is available to download by clicking here.

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31/01/2010 - Boccia: Paralympic sport mourns the passing of Steven Valentine

Steven Valentine, R.I.P.

It is with great sadness that the PCI learned of the sudden passing of Boccia panel member Steven Valentine yesterday after a short illness.  Valentine, a member of Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland's Senior Boccia Squad since 2005 was a tenacious competitor which propelled him, along with his partners John Cronin and Gerard O'Grady, to the podium at Major Championships.

Valentine's achievements in his short career included a silver medal in the BC3 Pair at the 2006 Boccia World Championships in Rio de Janeiro and a silver medal in the BC3 Pair at the 2009 European Championships in Portugal.  The European Championships also marked a significant breakthrough for Valentine as he made a major advance in the BC3 Individual competition by winning his pool and exiting the competition at the quarter-final stage.  His world ranking at the end of the 2009 season was an impressive 16th in BC3 and in 7th place for Ireland in BC3 Pair.

The PCI extends its deepest sympathies and best wishes to Steven's team mates, CPSI, and especially to his family.

May he rest in peace.

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25/01/2010 - O'Neills announced as Official Kit Supplier to the Irish Paralympic Team for London 2012

At the announcement of O'Neills as Official Kit Supplier to the 2012 Irish Paralympic Team today at Sport HQ were from L to R: Gary Messett (Football), Eimear Breathnach (Table Tennis), Nancy Chillingworth (Paralympic Performance Director), Liam Harbison (CEO, PCI) and Catherine Walsh (Cycling)

The Paralympic Council of Ireland today announced O'Neills Irish International Sportswear Company as Official Kit Supplier to the Irish Paralympic Team for the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Today's announcement sees O'Neills continue with their extensive support for Irish Paralympic sport which began in the build up to the very successful Beijing 2008 Games.

The deal, representing approximately 1,800 items of clothing, will provide significant in-kind support to the Irish Team with O'Neill's ensuring Irish athletes have specially designed ceremony, training and competition clothing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

Mr Jimmy Gradwell, President of the PCI commenting on the deal said "It is an honour to have O'Neills as Official Kit Supplier to the Irish Paralympic Team as we move towards London 2012. We have outstanding athletes who are being supplied with top class technical and leisure wear by a leading Irish company. The road to London is an exciting prospect and we look forward to having O'Neills by our side."

O'Neills Marketing Manager, Mr. Cormac Farrell said today: "O'Neills are delighted to continue the very fine relationship with the Paralympic Council of Ireland, working with these committed athletes with London 2012 as their goal.  This sponsorship reinforces our company slogan 'The Choice of Champions' ".

Speaking at the announcement in Sport HQ in Dublin today, Liam Harbison, CEO of the Paralympic Council of Ireland and Chef de Mission of the Irish Team for the London Games said: "I am delighted we are continuing our relationship with O'Neill's for the London 2012 cycle following their outstanding partnership with the PCI for Beijing 2008. London is virtually a home games for the Irish team and to have a top class Irish company supplying clothing and support to us on such a world stage is fantastic. I look forward to continuing and building on our positive working relationship with O'Neills and seeing Irish athletes on the podium in London in O'Neills kit."

 

 

 

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08/01/2010 - Wheelchair Basketball: Expressions of interest sought for vacant National Coach position

Irish Wheelchair Association - Sport, the national governing body for wheelchair basketball in Ireland is seeking expressions of interest for the vacant position as Head Coach of their National Wheelchair Basketball Squad. 

Reporting to the Director of Sport at IWA-Sport, the National Wheelchair Basketball Head Coach will be responsible for implementing a High Performance Programme for the National Basketball Squad with a special emphasis on the development and implementation of a high performance coaching plan.

For further details and the application process, click here.

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15/12/2009 - The road to London looks bright for Ireland's prospective Paralympians (By Liam Harbison, Chef de Mission, London 2012)

With the success of Beijing 2008 still fresh in the memory, Ireland's Paralympic athletes haven't rested on their laurels in 2009 as the London 2012 Paralympic Games approaches in little under 1000 days time. 

Post Paralympic year is always a difficult year for Paralympic Sport as many sports undergo significant transition with some senior athletes, coaches and other support staff "retiring" or moving on to pastures new.  In addition, it is a year when many sports look to introduce their younger developing athletes to the rigours of senior International competition.  Couple this with the inevitable drop in funding in year 1 of a 4 year cycle and a drop in the level of success is fully understandable.

Paralympic sport in Ireland has thrived in the 2009 despite the "year 1" difficulties.  There have been many highlights of which I will highlight a few:

The medal trail commenced at the CBC European Boccia Championships which took place in May in Portugal.  After a no. of stirring performances in the individual competition, Ireland's BC1/BC2 Team of Padraig Moran, Tom Leahy, Jason Kearney & Bobbie Connolly, contributed greatly to Ireland's world ranking with a fourth place finish.  The highlight however was the performance of John Cronin, Steven Valentine & Gerard O'Grady in the BC3 Pair competition. Having failed to qualify for the Beijing Games, the BC3 Pair gave a wonderful riposte with a silver medal winning performance in Portugal.  But for a lapse of concentration when leading 6:0 after two ends, the result would surely have been a gold medal.  Nevertheless, the Boccia squad, both BC1/BC2 Team and BC3 Pair, are very much on course to qualify for London 2012.

Ireland sent a team of six athletes to the IPC European Swimming Championships in Iceland in October.  Led by former Paralympian Dave Malone, the new Head of Paralympic Swimming, the team consisted of 3 Beijing team members, Darragh McDonald, Ellen Keane & Stephen Campbell, and major championship debutants Laurence McGivern, Gina Lourens and "ParaLion" Jonathan McGrath.  The team performed superbly with a combined total of 12 personal bests set and 14 appearances by Irish swimmers in finals.  Darragh McDonald, Beijing silver medalist in the S6 400m Freestyle, repeated the feat in Iceland and added the silver in the S6 100m also.   With a burgeoning squad of athletes coming along including the likes of Charlotte Hall, James Scully and Namphon Steele, not to forget Ireland's other Beijing swimmers, Johnny Cummings and Hannah Clarke, the competition for places on the Irish team for next year's IPC World Championships in Eindhoven is hotting up.

Ireland's Cerebral Palsy Football Team competed in the CPISRA International Championships in the Netherlands in October.  The team consisted of experienced players such as Aidan Brennan, Gary Messett & Luke Evans, and new players including "ParaLion" Dara Snell.  The team concluded their participation in the Championship with a hard fought victory against their nemesis, the Netherlands.  It marked their first victory against the Dutch since 2003 and ensured their final world ranking at the end of the year in 5th place.  The event also produced a significant result for Ireland with the reinstatement of Derek Malone following a classification review resulting from his omission from the Beijing Games.

The sports of Boccia, Swimming and Football have been traditionally strong for Ireland.  The sport of cycling however has developed step by step over the last six years with Denis Toomey at the helm.  The cycling squad in 2009 came of age with a no. of podium finishes at various events throughout Europe.  They left the best to last with supreme performances at the UCI World Track Championships in Manchester in early November.  A whole host of Irish records were set by the squad but the momentum was created by Cathal Miller on day 1 when he became the first Irish rider ever to qualify for a medal ride-off at a World Championships.  Unfortunately, Miller was unable to win the ride off for the bronze medal but he is edging ever nearer the World Championship podium.

Catherine Walsh, bronze medal winner in the pentathlon at Sydney 2000, transferred to cycling in 2005 and became Cycling Ireland's first female Paralympian in Beijing.   The transition was completed with a stunning performance in Manchester along with her tandem pilot, Caroline Ryan, winning the silver medal in the 3km Individual Pursuit.  The American victors had to break the world record to win the gold medal. 

So as another year comes to a close, the road to the London 2012 Paralympic Games is a very promising one with Ireland's athletes showing significant potential to indicate that the "Home Games" in London will be successful for Ireland.  The work of many people has contributed to their success including coaches, sports science providers, NGB's etc., however, the ambition, determination and commitment of the athletes themselves have been the most significant factor in their success. 

The highlight for me this year was not the stunning success of Irish athletes at major competition, but the knowledge that the potential for Paralympic sport to grow in Ireland is available at the minute.  The ParaLions Athlete Search Day in DCU in May which showcased Paralympic Sport in Ireland brought over 400 people through the doors and into the Paralympic Family in Ireland.  Many young people with disabilities are now active in Paralympic sport as a result of that uplifting day, with many Irish Paralympic stars of the future identified and now pushing for places on Irish teams.  The future is bright, be part of it.

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14/12/2009 - Athletics: McKillop competes for Ireland at European Cross Country Championships

Michael McKillop in action for Ireland

Following his immense victory in the Athletics Ireland Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships, Paralympian Michael McKillop took his place on the start line with the Irish Team for the Junior Mens race at the Spar European Cross Country Championships last weekend.  On a beautiful day in the impressive setting of Santry Demesne, thousands flocked to the Dublin venue to support Ireland's athletes in the 6 races, including a no. of McKillops' Beijing 2008 team mates. 

McKillop put in a stirring display in tough underfoot conditions following the recent rains in Dublin to finish in 63rd place out of the 88 starters in the race in a time of 20:12.  The race was won by Belgium's Jereon D'Hoedt in 18:46. 

In the team event, McKillop was the fifth Irishman home and helped secure 11th place for Ireland behind the winners Great Britain.

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04/12/2009 - PCI makes significant progress on 2012 Holding Camp plan

The PCI delegation inspecting the new velodrome in Sanghalos

A delegation from PCI today completed its second visit to Northern Portugal in preparation for the Irish Paralympic Teams holding camp for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.  The delegation was led by Paralympic Performance Director, Nancy Chillingworth who is responsible for the rollout of PCI's training camps programme for the London cycle.  Chillingworth was accompanied by President Jimmy Gradwell, CEO Liam Harbison and a representative from the Irish Sports Council, Austin Mallon.

Following the inspection trip, conducted with Move Sports,  a comprehensive plan is now in place with the full details to be revealed by the PCI at the 1st Multisport Camp in April, 2010.  Commenting on the holding camp plans, Chilingworth said: "The plan is really coming together now with a quality camp base identified in Northern Portugal.  While the final hotel base is yet to be finalised, the final two options are really solid.  The athletes will be really happy with the quality of all the sports venues we have selected.  The standard of these facilities is exceptionally high and will greatly assist them in their final preparations before London 2012."

PCI will now look to finalise contracts with Move Sports and proceed to detailed planning with each sport in the first quarter of 2010.  The PCI are preparing for a full road-test of the holding camp with our now traditional Familiarisation Camp a year before the Games.

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03/12/2009 - 1000 days to go till London 2012 Paralympic Games

To view the all the pictograms for London 2012 Paralympic Games click http://www.london2012.com/games/paralympic/index.php

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24/11/2009 - Athletics: McKillop selected on European Cross Country Championships team for Ireland

Paralympian Michael McKillop on his way to victory in Kilbeggan last Sunday

Athletics Ireland today announced the composition of Irish Teams for the upcoming Spar European Cross Country Championships to take place at Santry Demesne, Dublin on December 13th.  Of immense interest to Paralympic Sports fans in Ireland is the selection of Ireland's T37 800m Paralympic Champion, Michael McKillop on the Irish Junior Mens Team for this prestigious event.

McKillop's selection was secured when he was victorious last Sunday at the Inter-Counties Cross Country Championships in a wild, wet and windy Kilbeggan.

It was reported as the biggest surprise of the day at the Westmeath venue. Cork's Ryan Creech set a fast pace from the start and soon had the field stretched as runner after runner dropped off the pace. Going out the last lap it was McKillop from Antrim who surged into the lead and was soon clear, holding himself well to win comfortably from Liam Tremble from Dublin and Creech.   The full Irish Junior Mens Team is as follows:

Michael McKillop (St. Malachy's AC)
Liam Tremble (Metro / St. Brigid's AC)
Ryan Creech (Leevale AC)
Emmett Jennings (Dundrum South Dublin AC)
Noel Collins (Omagh Harriers AC)
Ian Ward (Finn Valley AC)

Tickets for the European Cross Country Championships are available at www.ticketmaster.ie

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.22/11/2009 - IPC elect new Governing Board for 2009-2013

The new IPC Governing Board

The members of the International Paralympic Committee today elected the new Governing Board to serve for the period from 2009-2013.

Sir Philip Craven was re-elected as President for a further term unopposed. 

In a tight five way battle for the position of Vice-President, Greg Hartung from Australia was the  victor and assumes the position from Spain's Miguel Sagarra.

23 nominees contested the election for Members at Large on the Governing Board for the ten available places.  After five rounds of voting, the successful candidates were:

Dato Zainal Abu-Zarin (Malaysia)
Ann Cody (USA)
Hyang-Sook Jang (Korea)
Andrew Parsons (Brasil)
Migual Sagarra (Spain)
Rita Van Driel (Netherlands)
Alan Dickson (Great Britain)
Ali Harzallah (Tunisia)
Patrick Jarvis (Canada)
Jose Luis Campo (Argentina)

Following the elections, the President, Sir Philip Craven brought the General Assembly to a close.  The 14th General Assembly of the IPC is due to take place in November, 2011.

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21/11/2009 - IPC General Assembly gets under way in Kuala Lumpur

PCI President James Gradwell & CEO Liam Harbison at the IPC GA in Kuala Lumpar

The 13th General Assembly of the International Paralympic Committee is currently under way in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur.  This biennial event brings the members of the worldwide Paralympic movement together to shape the future of the movement.  Representatives from over 100 National Paralympic Committees & 25 Paralympic sports are in attendance, including the President and the CEO of the Paralympic Council of Ireland, Jimmy Gradwell and Liam Harbison respectively.

The General Assembly deals with many issues such as:

* IPC Finance
* Motions from the Governing Board
* Motions from the members
* Beijing 2008 after action report
* Progress reports from the next four Paralympic Games host cities: Vancouver 2010, London 2012, Sochi 2014 & Rio de Janeiro 2016.
* Elections to the Governing Board

The elections to the Governing Board will take place tomorrow. 

The main topic of discussion & debate during the pre General Assembly Conference and day 1 of the Assembly was the potential re-inclusion of athlete with Intellectual Disability to the Paralympic Games at London 2012 following their controversial removal following the Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games.  Following a very lively and passionate debate, the motion to re-include these athletes was carried narrowly.

The General Assembly continues tomorrow and will conclude with the IPC Paralympic Awards partnered by Allianz.

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20/11/2009 - PCI announce criteria for athletes to be included on the 2010 PCI Panel

Following a period of consultation with the representatives of the sports on the Irish Team likely to be represented at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, PCI are pleased to release the agreed criteria for athletes to be included on the 2010 PCI Panel.  The sports are currently in the process of nominating the athletes who meet the criteria to PCI for inclusion in the panel. 

Following the ratification of the panel by PCI on Dec. 8th, PCI will write to each athlete inviting them to accept their place on  the panel.  Athletes on the PCI Panels will be invited to PCI events in 2010 including the PCI Multisport Training Camps in Limerick (April 8th-11th & November 11th-14th).  The panel will also act as the Registered Testing Pool of PCI with the anti-doping unit of the Irish Sports Council.

The process of PCI panel criteria development will be repeated in late 2010 and 2011.  Panels are open ended with sports able to add or withdraw athletes at anytime during any given year.

To view the panel criteria for each sport view the London 2012 page by clicking here.

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08/11/2009 - Cycling: Walsh & Ryan secure Ireland's first ever World Championship medal in Manchester

Ireland's Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan tonight produced a sensational performance to take silver in the 3km Individual Pursuit at the UCI World Track Cycling Championships in Manchester.

World Silver Medallists, Catherine Walsh (left) and Caroline with Irish Team Manager, Denis Toomey after tonights medal ceremony

Walsh, along with pilot Ryan, finished in second position with a time of 3:38.756 behind the American pair of Karissa Whitsell and Mackenzie Woodring, who took gold in a new World Record Time of 3:36.362. Walsh, a mother of two from Swords in Dublin and a previous Medallist from the Sydney Paralympic Games, transferred her talents to Cycling after retirement from Athletics.

Speaking after the event, vision impaired athlete Walsh with her pilot rider Ryan said, "We are thrilled to get the silver medal here tonight. It took a World Record from the Americans to beat us! For this to be Ireland's first World Championship medal is a tremendous honour, we'll be smiling about this for a long time."

Team Manager, Denis Toomey, delighted with the performance stated "We are delighted with tonight's performance. The whole squad are in good shape and have performed well. Having come so close to securing medals for Ireland at the Road World Championships in Italy recently, we were quietly optimistic that we could go one step further and produce the goods here in Manchester."

The Female Tandem pairing also set a New Irish Record of 1:14.664 in the 1km Time trial yesterday to secure a great 5th place finish for Ireland.

Earlier in the today's competition, Ireland's tandem pair of Michael Delaney and Con Collis, qualified 3rd fastest in the 200m Sprint competition in a new Irish Record Time of 10:857 just 0.4 of a second off the world record time. Unfortunately the pair crashed during the quarterfinals against Canada and whilst there appeared to be no serious injuries, the riders were taken to hospital as a precautionary measure.

The second Irish male tandem in the B&VI 4km Pursuit, Andrew Fitzgerald and pilot Paul Giblin recorded a PB time of 4:43.437 good enough to give them 9th place overall.

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07/11/2009 - Cycling: Irish team maintain record form on day 2 of Track World Championships

Con Collis & Michael Delaney Picture courtesy of Harry Iddon (copyright)

The Irish Squad were back in action today at the UCI Paracycling Track World Championships with Enda Smyth getting proceedings off to a good start when he set an Irish Record in the CP4 4km Individual Pursuit competition recording a time 5:18.048.  Smyth coped well with the longer distance introduced this year for the CP4 riders up from the previous 3km distance.

The Irish Male tandems had mixed fortunes in the B&VI 4km Pursuit, Andrew Fitzgerald and pilot Paul Giblin recorded a PB time of 4:43.437 good enough to give them 9th place overall.  Michael Delaney and Con Collis were very unfortunate to crash out with 8 laps to go when they were leading on the board at the time, the tubular on their front wheel blew out but thankfully no bones were broken just cuts and grazes so they should be back in action for the Sprint Competition tomorrow.

Cathal Miller feeling the effects of two hard 4km races yesterday put in a good ride in the LC1 1KM Time Trial to finish in 10th place in a time of 1:12.213.

In tonight's session the Female Tandem pairing  of Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan set a New Irish Record of 1:14.664 in the 1km Time trial to secure a great 5th place finish for Ireland.

The girls are also back in action at tomorrow's last day of competition when they take part in their favourite 3km Pursuit competition.

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06/11/2009 - Cycling: Miller breaks new ground for Irish Paralympic Cycling in Manchester

Cathal Miller on his way to 4th place for Ireland today Picture courtesy of Harry Iddon (Copyright)

Irelands Cathal Miller narrowly missed out on a Bronze Medal when finishing in fourth place in the LC1 4km Individual Pursuit final at the 2009 Paracycling Track World Championships in Manchester today.  Having given it everything in this morning's qualification Miller recorded his third fastest time ever in the final but it was just not enough to beat the current Road Time Trial World Champion Austrian Wolfgand Eibeck in the ride-off for the bronze medal.  However 4th place at a World Championships was a brilliant result and Ireland's best track result to date, marking the ifrst time an Irish rider has qualified for a medal ride-off.

Two other Irish Records were broken today when Enda Smyth set a New Irish Record in the Men's CP4 1Km Time Trial finishing in 6th place in a time of 1:15.157.  Irish male tandem pairing of Michael Delaney and Con Collis also secured a great 6th place finish in their 1km Time Trial in a New Irish Record Time of 1:07.202.  Ireland's second male tandem pairing of Andrew Fitzgerald and Paul Giblin finished in 15th place in the same competition in a Personal Best time of 1:10.381.

All the Irish squad will be back in action it the second day of competition at the Velodrome tomorrow.

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05/11/2009 - Cycling: Ireland sends strong squad to UCI Paracycling Track World Championships in Manchester

The Irish Paracyling Squad have arrived in Manchester ahead of tomorrow's first day of competition at the UCI Paracycling Track World Championships which run over 3 days from 6^th to 8^th November.

Cathal Miller competes in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit in the LC1 Category.

Enda Smyth competes in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit in the CP4 Category.

Two Irish tandems compete in the Male B&VI Category, Michael Delaney piloted by Con Collis and Andrew Fitzgerald piloted by Paul Giblin.  Both tandems compete in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit  with Delaney and Collis also taking part in the Tandem Sprint Competition hoping to match or improve on their double bronze medal performance at the last May's World Cup.

In the Female Tandem competition Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan will also be hoping to add a World Championship medal to the World Cup Bronze medal they won in Manchester last May and will compete in the 1km Individual Time Trial and the 4km Individual Pursuit.

Speaking from Manchester today, Irish Paracycling Team Manager Denis Toomey said "The whole squad are in good shape and we expect to see a number of Irish Records broken over the next three days.  Having come so close to securing medals for Ireland at the Road World Championships in Italy recently we are quietly optimistic that we can go one step further and produce the goods here in Manchester.  Top nations from all over the world are here and we will be giving them a good run for their money."

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28/10/2009 - Football 7-A-Side: Malone reinstated to Paralympic Football 7-A-Side after lengthy protest following his removal at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games

Derek Malone at the press conference in Beijing announcing his ineligibility for the Games

Following his dismissal from the Beijing Paralympic Games having been deemed not disabled enough to compete by the Cerebral Palsy International Sport & Recreation Association (CPISRA), Clare's Derek Malone, was this week reinstated by a review panel of CPISRA led by new Head of Classification, Ms. Carol Mushett-Johnson. 

Following the Beijing Games, Malone, along with the Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) and Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland (CPSI) conducted a lengthy campaign (13months) with CPISRA, the international governing body for cerebral palsy football, to ensure they provided the "independent review" promised in Beijing by CPISRA President, Mr. Alan Dickson. 

Confirming the decision of the review panel, Mushett-Johnson has also designated Malone's status as "confirmed" under CPISRA rules.  Effectively, only Mushett-Johnson herself as "Chief Classifier" can alter Malone's status going forward.  This is the highest level of classification status available to any athlete and in effect deems Malone's status as permanent and uncontestable by other nations.

 

The Irish team protesting the decision to remove Derek Malone in Beijing following their draw with Great Britain

Since the Beijing Games, a working committee was set up within CPISRA to look at all aspects of classification for Football 7-A-Side.  Within this process a new "Head of Classification for Football", Ms. Carol Mushett-Johnson, was appointed and began working to ensure the classification problems encountered in Beijing were dealt with and confidence in the classification process for the sport would return within the playing nations.   The outcome was the publication of more defined - and tighter - classification rules for the sport last month.  The application of the "protest under exceptional circumstances" clause of CPISRA new rules, allowed for the review of Derek Malone's case.

The review took place at SportsCentrum, Papendal, in the Netherlands during the rest day of the CPISRA International Championships, in which Ireland has qualified for the second phase of competition.

Commenting on his reinstatement, Malone said: "I am delighted to have finally received some closure on the events of Beijing. It has been a long, frustrating 13months; with some dark moments and numerous false starts. Hopefully CPISRA have the will to follow-up my reinstatement with an acknowledgement for the wrong that was done to me & the Irish team in Bejing, thus allowing me to draw a line under the events of Beijing and move on."

"I would like to acknowledge the contribution of PCI, CPSI & Carol Mushett-Johnson, in helping me receive closure on things. I would also like to thank my family & girlfriend for their unconditional support throughout Beijing and in the intervening time period".

Irish Football 7-A-Side Team Manager, Paul Cassin stated: "In my 30 years of  involvement with CPISRA, both myself and my players have always treated classification with honesty and endeavour.  I am delighted with the help of the Paralympic Council of Ireland that we finally have closure on this matter.  I very much look forward to welcoming Derek Malone back into the Irish Panel and seeing him in the Irish jersey once again."

Secretary General of the Paralympic Council of Ireland, Liam Harbison, was more forthright in his response to the reinstatement of the Derek Malone.  He stated:  "I am thrilled that the wrong perpetrated on Derek Malone, and the Irish team as a whole, at the Beijing Paralympic Games by CPISRA has been corrected.  I acknowledge the efforts of everybody involved in bringing about this weeks result, especially Carol Mushett-Johnson."

"Having said that, while recognising the process that brought about this weeks reinstatement, this decision should have been made much sooner which would have permitted Derek Malone to compete at the International Championships this week." 

Harbison continued, "I welcome the fact that CPISRA have reviewed their rules and procedures in light of the terrible distress caused in Beijing by Derek's case, however, I do feel they still haven't addressed one of our core concerns, namely, that the symptoms of cerebral palsy as a condition are trainable and can be developed to a significant degree by elite athletes.  I hope that CPISRA will continue to review their classification rules, and be more consultative with the athletes and playing nations in doing so."

"I really look forward to seeing Derek Malone represent his country at elite level and reignite his glittering career in Paralympic Sport.  I was devastated that his fantastic success of winning bronze on the track in Athens 2004 was overshadowed by a terrible decision to deem him ineligible in Beijing.  I wish him the very best of luck in the future and hopefully now he will set himself the target of appearing at the London 2012 Paralympic Games."

In responding to Malone's reinstatement, CPISRA President, Alan Dickson, stated that he does not believe and apology is owed to Malone.  This is despite the fact that with tighter rules, the CPISRA's most senior classification team have now readmitted Malone to the sport.  When quizzed as to the need for an apology in this case, Dickson stated: "I do not believe that any is owed.  This does not mean that I do not regret what Derek went through, nor does it mean that I am not happy that a new panel has declared him eligible. I regret it when any athlete is found ineligible, particularly a Paralympic medalist."

Derek Malone now has the option to rejoin the Irish squad after this week's Championships and may commence preparations for the team for the 2010 European Championships to be held in Scotland.

Derek Malone has released his own statement on the experience of the last 13 months.  You can view it by clicking here.

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24/10/2009 - Swimming: Irish record for Stephen Campbell to conclude a successful European Championships for Ireland's Paralympic Swimmers

Ireland's European Swimming Championship Team which succeeded in Iceland (Gina Lourens not in picture)

Ireland's Stephen Campbell set a new Irish record tonight on the final evening of competition at the International Paralympic Committee European Swimming Championships in Iceland. Campbell set a new Irish standard of 67.14 to finish 7th in the final of the 100m Freestyle (S11 Class).

Campbell, overjoyed with his performance, spoke to the assembled press after the race declaring, "A great way to finish the meet for me, a new pb and I have really enjoyed swimming the final tonight."  Campbell started strongly out of the blocks and maintained a strong pace to take .06 seconds off his previous mark.

This morning, teenager Laurence McGivern, set a new personal best in the heats of the 100m Freestyle (S9 Class). This was a strong swim from which McGivern will reap invaluable experience that will stand to him over the coming years.

For Ireland, it has been an extremely successful European Championship competition with 2 Silver medals, 14 finals and 14 personal best performances. Star of the team was Wexford's Darragh McDonald with a haul of two European silver medals to add to his silver medal from the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games. With over half the team making their major Championship debut with such success and still a very young squad, this has been a tremendous performance for the Irish Paralympic Swimming Team.

For Head of Paralympic Swimming, Dave Malone, at his first championships in the role, the championships have been a very rewarding experience. Reflecting on the team's performance, Malone said, "This has truly been a tremendous championships for the Irish team. The team is young and full of potential with our objective coming over here being to compete against the best athletes in Europe and to learn for the experience. The team delivered on all fronts, competing in finals every night and achieving many new personal best times. To win 2 silver medals has been a fantastic achievement for Darragh McDonald and the whole country should be proud of our team's performance."

Team manager, Mary McDonnell is overjoyed with the team's performance. "The trip has been a huge success. The swimmers excelled themselves in some very tough competition here at the championships. With one of Ireland's most successful Paralympic competitors at the helm offering invaluable experience, next years World Swimming Championship has the potential to be a very rewarding affair."

The Irish team will arrive into Dublin Airport on Sunday evening (25th October) at 22.05pm.

Full Irish results available by clicking here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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23/10/2009 - Swimming: More finals and Irish Records for Ireland's swimmers in Iceland

Ireland's Stephen Campbell

Irish swimmers Stephen Campbell and Gina Lourens both achieved success tonight at the IPC European Swimming Championships in Reykjavik on the second last day of competition.

Vision impaired athlete, Stephen Campbell from Cookstown, Co. Tyrone, was in action in the 100m Backstroke (S11 Class). Following last nights strong performance in the Butterfly event, Campbell again displayed his talent to finish 5th in a new Irish record time of 1.15.92. Campbell had a very controlled race and was in with a chance for a bronze medal but faded towards the end and narrowly missed out in very exciting finish.

Speaking after the event, Campbell said, "I was looking forward to this race. I've been feeling like I have been getting stronger in my swims as the meet has gone on, I wanted to go 1.16 tonight in the final so to dip under the mark has been very exciting for me".

Ireland's second finalist tonight, Gina Lourens, finished 7th in the 100m Freestyle (S8 Class) with a time of 1.19.61 behind eventual gold medal winner, Heather Frederiksen from Britain. Lourens qualified for this evening's final from the morning's heats in a new Irish record time of 1.19.10. Today's performance rounded up a strong European Championship event for Lourens having reached the finals in all her events. Speaking after the event, Lourens said, "I was so pleased to make the final tonight in the 100 m free. I was a little disappointed not to swim faster in the final. But I got a new pb this morning so I can't complain to much, I have made a final in all my swims at the championships and came away with new pb's in all my events so I couldn't be happier tonight."

Laurence McGivern swam a new personal best this morning in his favourite event, the 100m Backstroke (S9 Class) finishing in a time of 1.14.15. Commenting on his performance, Head of Paralympic Swimming, Dave Malone, observed, "Laurence delivered a fine performance setting a new pb time. He had a strong first 50 meters and held his stroke on the finish and I couldn't have asked for a better swim this morning."

Jonathan McGrath swam in the heats of the 100m Freestyle (S8 Class) finishing with a time of 1.11.93, outside his personal best time. McGrath has had a very good debut at a major championship, learning a lot form the experience of competing against the best athletes in Europe.

Saturday sees the final day of this European Championship event with two Irish swimmers in competition. Laurence McGivern swims in the 100m Freestyle (S9 Class) while Stephen Campbell swims in the 100m Freestyle (S11 Class).

A live stream of the 2009 IPC Swimming European Championships will be broadcast on www.ParalympicSport.TV on 23-24 October. Tune in to see the action!

Full Irish results available by clicking here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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23/10/2009 - PCI complete first NPC visit to LOCOG to commence planning for London 2012

Zsigmond Nagy (LOCOG), Philip McGillycuddy (Kick), Liam Harbison (PCI) & James McLeod (LOCOG)

PCI this week had its first NPC visit to LOCOG in preparation for Ireland's participation at the 2012 London Paralympic Games.  Chef de Mission for the Irish Team, Liam Harbison, spent the day on Thursday with LOCOG staff discussing a range of issues including:

* General overview of Games construction projects
* Sports venues and competition schedules
* The Paralympic Village
* Games accommodation and transport
* Ticketing

Following the series of meetings in the morning, site visits to the Olympic Park venues and the Excel Exhibition Centre were conducted.

Commenting on progress to date, Harbison stated: "LOCOG are well advanced in their planning and are actively communicating with NPCs.  The concept for the games in London is superb.  The striking thing from the Olympic Park viewing platform is the compact nature of the site.  I think the athletes will be very happy with the proximity of the village to the main stadia with LOCOG reporting that over 80% of athletes will be competing in venues less than 15 minutes journey time from the village.  Of particular note also is the level of integration of the Paralympic and Olympic games within LOCOG."

Harbison concluded his visit with a meet and greet with the Irish Ambassador to Great Britain, HE Mr. Bobby McDonough at the Irish Embassy in London.

PCI will conduct a series of NPC visits over the coming years with key team members attending.

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22/10/2009 - Swimming: McDonald takes second silver at European Championships in Iceland tonight

Darragh McDonald, won his second European Silver Medal tonight in Iceland

Ireland's Darragh McDonald achieved an amazing double tonight in the Laugardalur Swimming Complex in Reykjavik, winning European silver for the second time this week. The amputee swimmer finished in second place in the 100m Freestyle event with a new Irish Record time of 1.10.50, remarkably destroying the record he had set in qualifying this morning by 0.86 of a second.

After his 400m Freestyle silver medal earlier in the week, McDonald flew off the blocks in this mornings heats to set a new Irish record of 1.11.36 to qualify second fastest for tonight's final. The final saw the Irish teenager matched against his old rival from Sweden, Anders Olsson who resisted the Irishman's strong challenge, going on the win the gold.

Speaking after the event, McDonald said, "I couldn't have asked for a better finish to the European championships, it has been a great competition for me and I'm already focusing my preparations toward the world championships August 2010"

Tyrone resident, Stephen Campbell, was Ireland's second finalist tonight in the 100m Butterfly event (S11 Class). The vision impaired athlete produced a superb performance to set a new personal best time of 1.13.50, finishing in 5th position overall. In the mixed zone after the race, overjoyed with his performance Campbell declared, "If you put your mind to it you can really achieve anything you set out to do, that swim has given me a lot of confidence in my ability to compete with the very best athletes."

Ireland's other finalist of the evening, Gina Lourens, was not so fortunate, being disqualified from her 100m Butterfly event (S8 Class) for a technical infringement. Lourens was bitterly disappointed with the result but will be back in the pool tomorrow for the 100m Freestyle event.

Laurence McGivern was also in action today in the heats of the mens 50m Freestyle event (S9 Class). Having started a little high out of the blocks, McGivern finished in 7th position with a time of 29.80 in what was a very competitive qualification round of world class swimmers.

Speaking from the poolside tonight, Head of Paralympic Swimming and former Paralympic medallist, Dave Malone said, "For Darragh, this was a perfect end to a tremendous championships for him, I'm delighted with his progress since Beijing and now have sights firmly set on the world championships next summer. Laurence is a young athlete with great promise and has done exactly what I hoped for at the start of the championships. Stephen was unlucky to miss out on a bronze medal on the last stroke with a very exciting finish, very proud of the efforts of Stephen tonight."

Day 5 of the Championships sees a busy day with yet again, 4 Irish athletes in competition. Stephen Campbell competes in the 100m Backstroke (S11 Class), Laurence McGivern competes in the 100m Backstroke (S9 Class), Jonathan McGrath swims in the 100m Freestyle (S8 Class) while Gina Lourens swims in the 100m Freestyle (S8 Class).

A live stream of the 2009 IPC Swimming European Championships will be broadcast on www.ParalympicSport.TV on 23-24 October. Tune in to see the action!

Full Irish results available by clicking here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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21/10/2009 - PCI joins other sports bodies in uniting against further cuts in sports funding

At today's press conference launching the Irish Sport Matters campaign: Back L to R: Padraic Duffy (GAA), Matt English (Special Olympics Ireland), Liam Harbison (PCI) & Pat Hickey (OCI) Front L to R: Philip Browne (IRFU), Sarah O'Connor (Fed. of Irish Sport) & John Delaney (FAI)

Click here to view the Irish Sport Matters submission issued to the Irish Government.

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21/10/2009 - Swimming: Lourens & McGivern set new personal bests on a tough day of competition in Reykjavik

Laurence McGivern from Newry who made his major championship debut today

Ireland's Gina Lourens set a new personal best of 35.40 seconds tonight in the final of the women's 50m Freestyle (S8 Class).  Lourens, originally from South Africa but now racing for Ireland, shaved .22 of a second off her previous best to finish in 6th position overall. Speaking after her event, Lourens said, "Its always great to get a personal best in the final, I knew I could push harder in the final from this mornings heats and felt strong throughout the 50m."

Ireland had three other swimmers in competition today.  Laurence McGivern, a native of Newry, was first into the pool for his 400m Freestyle (S9 Class). Yet another of the promising batch of young Irish swimmers making their major championship debut at these games, McGivern put in a solid performance to finish in a time of 5.10 which was a new personal best. Commenting afterwards, McGivern said of his debut performance, "It was brilliant to get in for my first swim here at the championships, and I'm pleased to start off with a new long course pb."

Stephen Campbell just missed out on a personal best time in the 50m Freestyle (S11 Class) finishing with a time of 30.50 seconds. This was not enough to get Campbell through to tonights final but he is back in action tomorrow morning in the 100m Butterfly.

Having made his competition debut yesterday, Killaloe native, Jonathan McGrath swam in the 50m Freestyle (S8 Class) finishing in a time of 34.5 seconds, which was not enough to get him through to the final. Having come through the Paralympic Council of Irelands Paralions talent identification programme, McGrath is certainly a talent to watch in the future.

Day 5 of the competition sees 4 Irish swimmers in action. Laurence McGivern enters the 50m Freestyle (S9 Class) while Darragh McDonald swims in the 100m Freestyle (S6 Class). Gina Lourens and Stephen Campbell take to the pool again in the 100m Butterfly (S8Class) and (S11 Class) respectively.

A live stream of the 2009 IPC Swimming European Championships will be broadcast on www.ParalympicSport.TV on 23-24 October. Tune in to see the action!

Full Irish results available by clicking here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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20/10/2009 - Swimming: McDonald sets new Irish Record on Day 3 of European Championships in Iceland

Darragh McDonald  New Irish Record set today Jonathan McGrath Impressive Championship debut today in Iceland

Ireland's Paralympic Swimming Team continued their successful run today at the IPC European Swimming Championships in Iceland with 4 Irish competitors involved in action today.

Darragh McDonald, silver medallist in the 400m Freestyle two days ago, was back in the pool for his 50m Freestyle event (S6 Class). Finishing second in this morning's heat with an Irish record time of 33.60 seconds, McDonald went into tonight's final ranked third overall.  In a closely fought race, McDonald was lying in third place when, in the final 5 metres he was narrowly beaten for the Bronze medal, finishing in 5th place overall. This is yet another fine performance from the Wexford teenager, shaving .52 seconds off the previous Irish record.

Clare native, Jonathan McGrath made his major championship debut today in this mornings session competing in the 400m Freestyle (S8 Class) setting a new personal best with a time of 5.19.21 taking over 2 seconds off his previous best. This was enough to take McGrath through to tonight's final where he finished in 7th place with a time of 5.16.91 in another personal best time. This is a tremendous major championship debut performance and speaking after the event, Jonathan said, "The swim felt really fast compared to the heat! I am thrilled to make a final".

Gina Lourens began her championship's today finishing 7th in the final of the 400m Freestyle event (S8 Class) with a time of 5.59.87 which was half a second outside her personal best time.

Stephen Campbell from Cookstown, Co. Tyrone competed in the 400m Freestyle event (S11 Class) finishing 5th in the final with a seasons best time of 5.33.21. This is a strong result, which bodes well for the shorter events to come.

Speaking after the day's events, Irish Team Manager Mary McDonnell stated: "Team morale is very high, everyone is enjoying themselves and learning a huge amount about major competition. Of eight swims so far we’ve had eight finals and a silver medal. Swimmers and staff are very supportive of each other. Even though we are a small team we have made our presence felt at the pool both in the water and on the balcony!"

Tomorrow sees another busy day for the Irish contingent with four swimmers in action. Newry based Laurence McGivern makes his major championship debut in the 400m Freestyle event (S9 Class) while Jonathan McGrath returns for his 50m Freestyle event (S8 Class). Gina Lourens and Stephen Campbell compete in the 50m Freestyle events (S8 Class) & (S11 Class) respectively.

Full Irish results available by clicking here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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19/10/2009 - Swimming: Keane finishes 4th At European Championships

Ellen Keane - 4th place in Iceland

Dublin's Ellen Keane, finished with a well-earned fourth place in the 100m Breaststroke (S9 Class) this evening at the IPC European Swimming Championships in Iceland. Ranked fourth going into tonight's final Keane, who was lying in 5th position with 20m to go, put in a strong final burst to take fourth place in a time of 1.30.80 which was three seconds outside her personal best. Olesya Vladykina of Russia won the race in a world record time of 1.17.60.

This was Keane's second final of the evening, having earlier finished in 8th position in the 200m Individual Medley (SB8 Class) with a time of 2.53.06. Having qualified for tonight's final from this morning's heats with a time of 2.51.88, the field ultimately proved too strong for Keane in what was her third final in two days.

Commenting on tonight's performance, Head of Paralympic Swimming Dave Malone said, "A hard final tonight for Ellen in a very competitive race, Ellen pulled back the 4th position from lying 5th going into the last 20 meters, working a very good finish. It has been a positive swimming championships for Ellen and I am sure she will have learned a lot from the experience and can take that with her as she develops over the next few years."

With her race this evening, Keane's participation in this European Championships comes to an end. Speaking after the event Keane demonstrated a maturity beyond her years stating, "It was great to swim back to back finals tonight and I learned a lot from the experience, I was disappointed not to follow on with another personal best time tonight after yesterdays butterfly, but it was good to swim in the final with a new world record being set in the 100m Breaststroke and sets the standard that I'm looking to chase over the next few years."

Day 3 of competition tomorrow sees Darragh McDonald back in the pool for the 50m Freestyle event (S6 Class) while Stephen Campbell begins his European campaign in the 400m Freestyle event (S11 Class). Gina Lourens and Jonathan McGrath both start the competition in their respective 400m Freestyle events (S8) Class.

Full Irish results available by clicking here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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18/10/2009 - Swimming: Great start for Ireland as McDonald wins silver in Iceland

European Silver Medallist, Darragh McDonald

Ireland's Darragh McDonald won a silver medal this evening at the IPC European Swimming Championships in Iceland in the 400m Freestyle event (Class S6). On day one of the championships, the Silver Medallist from the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games got Ireland off to a flying start, finishing in second place with a time of 5.15.07 behind Anders Olsson who won in a world record time of 4.47.75.

Based in Wexford, this is McDonald's first major championship outing since his success in Beijing over a year ago. Speaking to assembled press after the event, a delighted McDonald said, "I am delighted with my silver medal tonight and it was once again an honour to represent my country at a major international competition, It was my first appearance at a European championships and I'm thrilled to add this medal to my silver medal for the same event in Beijing last year ".

Also in this evenings session, teenage swimmer, Ellen Keane improved her time from this mornings qualification to finish 7th in the final of the 100m Butterfly event (Class S9) with a time of 1.16.44. Keane, who is from Clontarf in Dublin, went into the final ranked 7th having set a personal best time of 1.16.95 in this mornings qualification. After her final Keane said, "I felt good in the heats this morning and was pleased with my time, so for the final I worked on holding my pace and working hard on my backend speed on the last 25 meters. I was so pleased to again set a new pb time tonight in the final."

Speaking from Reykjavik, Head of Paralympic Swimming, Dave Malone said: "Obviously I am delighted with today's performances. Both performances were great and the medal for Ireland is very exciting. It is a great achievement for Daragh to claim a silver medal in his first appearance at a European championships."

Tomorrow sees Ellen Keane return to the pool in the 200m Individual Medley and 100m Breaststroke events.

Full Irish results available by clicking here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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15/10/2009 - Swimming: Ireland's Paralympic Swimming Team departs for Reykjavik

(L to R) Laurence McGivern, Ellen Keane, Darragh McDonald, Jonathan McGrath & Stephen Campbell

The Irish Paralympic Swimming Team of 11 athletes and staff departed Dublin Airport this afternoon for the 2009 IPC European Swimming Championships to be held in Reykjavik, Iceland.

The team, led by Team Manager Mary McDonnell and coached by Head of Paralympic Swimming Dave Malone, is a blend of new and experienced athletes including Paralympic silver medallist, Darragh McDonald and Paralympic Finalist, Ellen Keane.  Speaking at the team's departure, Paralympic Performance Director, Nancy Chillingworth said "This is a young but very well prepared team and I have the utmost confidence in their ability to perform to a high level".

Head of Paralympic Swimming, Dave Malone speaking at their departure said "I am very pleased with the teams preparation. This is the first big test for our swimmers since Beijing. They are a young team, they have trained hard and their attitude is very positive. I believe they have the ability to produce great results".

The Championships, which will be held in the Laugardalslaug Complex, Reykjavik, will commence on 18th October and will run until the 24th October.

Irish Team for the 2009 IPC European Swimming Championships:

Stephen Campbell, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone,
S11 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 100m Butterfly.

Ellen Keane, Clontarf, Dublin,
S9/SB8 Class, 200m Individual Medley, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Butterfly.

Gina Lourens, (Resident South Africa),
S8 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle, 100m Butterfly.

Darragh McDonald, Gorey, Co. Wexford
S6 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly.

Laurence McGivern, Newry, Co. Down
S9 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke.

Jonathan McGrath, Killaloe, Co. Clare
S8 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle.

The Irish Team Support Staff are:

Mary McDonnell (Team Manager)
Dave Malone (Head Coach)
Sandra Cole (Coach)
James Laverty (B1 Guide)
Brendan Kirrane (Sports Massage Therapist)

To view the schedule of the Irish in action, click here.

Further information is available on the official competition website www.ifsport.is/ec2009

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13/10/2009 - Wheelchair Rugby: Irish Team arrive in Denmark ahead of 2009 IWRF European Championships

Ireland Wheelchair Rugby Captain - Alan Lynch

The Irish Wheelchair Rugby arrived safely in Denmark to compete in their fourth European Championships.  Their first game takes place tomorrow morning against major rivals and reigning European Champions, Great Britain. The Irish Team will have five pool matches to make it through to the final knock out stages of the Tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Irish will face some strong opponents in the pool matches, going up against three time European Championships Great Britain, and the hard hitting Swedish and Finnish Teams.

The team, captained by Alan Lynch, is looking forward to the challenge of this European Championships and is looking to improve on their current European and World rankings in the hope of qualifying for next years World Championships in Canada. Commenting on the teams' preparation, Irish Wheelchair Rugby Captain, Alan Lynch, said, "Preparation has all gone according to plan so far and we are all looking forward to the challenge ahead".

The schedule of games for the Pool Stages are as follows:

Wednesday 14th October
Game 1 - 08.45 Ireland v Great Britain
Game 2 - 18.00 Ireland v Finland

Thursday 15th October
Game 3 - 10.30 Ireland v Sweden
Game 4 - 18.00 Ireland v Netherlands

Friday 16th October
Game 5 - 08.45 Ireland v Austria

For up to date results and more information on other games and on the overall European Championships visit www.ecwheelchairrugby2009.dk

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02/10/2009 - Rio de Janeiro appointed as hosts for 2016 Paralympic Games

At a much anticipated IOC Session in Copenhagen today, the city of Rio de Janeiro beat off stiff competition to be awarded the honour of hosting the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games.  The 2016 Games will mark the first occasion that the Games will take place in South America.

The vote for the host city took place yesterday in Copenhagen, with the IOC members selecting Rio ahead of the other finalists in the candidate city race; Chicago, Madrid & Tokyo.  Leaders from the heads of all four countries attended and addressed the session ahead of the vote, including new US President Barak Obama.  The view that the final race was between Chicago and Rio was quickly discounted when Chicago were eliminated after the first round of votes with the least number of votes.  The second vote resulted in the elimination of Tokyo.

This left the final vote between Rio and the Spanish Capital, Madrid, who missed out in the race for the 2012 Games also.  Many observers felt the Games would not be awarded to a European City in 2016 as the 2012 edition is due take place in London.  This was how it turned out with Rio winning the final round of votes.  The Brasilian delegation were euphoric as IOC President, Mr. Jacque Rogge announced the result.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President and IOC member Sir Philip Craven, IPC Governing Board member and member of the IOC 2016 Evaluation Commission Greg Hartung and IPC CEO Xavier Gonzalez were amongst the attendees.

"I want to congratulate Rio de Janeiro to be elected as host city for the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2016. I know that Rio will do a great job in setting up unique and inspiring Paralympic Games in seven years time", said Sir Philip. He continued: "The quality of all bids was very high, including the content of each presentation about the Paralympics. I am confident that any of the four cities would have put on great Paralympic Games."

The Paralympic Council of Ireland extends its congratulations to the Rio organising committee and look forward to an extremely successful 2016 Paralympic Games in South America.

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01/10/2009 - Athletics: IPC Athletics publish entry standards for 2011 World Championships in New Zealand

The entry standards for the 2011 IPC World Championships, to be held in Christchurch, New Zealand were finally published by IPC Athletics yesterday.  A no. of the standards are still to be confirmed as IPC Athletics determines the entry standards for combined events in the field disciplines.  These will be published once the new points scoring formulae are determined at the end of the month. Once published these will be available on this website.

The qualification period for athletes to achieve qualifying standards is from September 1st 2009 - 31st August 2010.

To view the entry standards, click here.

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21/09/2009 - New President elected to European Paralympic Committee

New EPC President, Jon Petersson (Den)

The eighth General Assembly of the European Paralympic Committee (EPC) took place in Vienna, Austria over the weekend with the Paralympic Council of Ireland represented by CEO, Liam Harbison and Board Member, Breda Bernie.  Representatives from 41 members organisations in the Paralympic movement in Europe attended, making it the largest gathering of the EPC to date. 

The event commenced with the traditional conference on topics of the day. This years conference addressed the "process of sports independence".  Many speakers spoke on the issue including IPC CEO, Xavier Gonzalez.  He highlighted the current position re the remaining 9 sports where the IPC is the International Federation, stating that the process of self-governance or independence from the IPC will be completed by 2016.

The General Assembly took place on the 19th.  In a lengthy meeting, with many of the delegates clearly demanding a change of direction and focus of the EPC, a new Executive Board was elected. The vote for President was between John Petersson from Denmark and Ratko Kovacic from Croatia.  Petersson won with a vote of 24 to 17.  He now assumes the role for a four year term.

The legal transfer of the headquarters of the EPC from Bonn to Vienna was also on finalised at the Assembly.  Secretary General of the Austrian Paralympic Committee, Ms. Petra Huber, made a presentation on the new EPC office in the centre of Vienna.  The 7th General Assembly in Heraklion, Greece, voted in 2007 for Vienna to become the new headquarters of the EPC with the support of the Austrian government.  Saturday's meeting confirmed the legal transfer from Bonn and starts a new era for the EPC.  The next EPC will take place in 2011.

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16/09/2009 - Athletics: PCI appoints Stephen Maguire as Head of Paralympic Athletics

Stephen Maguire Head of Paralympic Athletics

The Paralympic Council of Ireland in association with Paralympic Athletics Ireland today announced the appointment of Mr. Stephen Maguire to the position of Head of Paralympic Athletics. 
 
Mr Maguire, a former Director of Coaching with Athletics Ireland and the coach of Beijing Paralympic Sensation and Double Gold Medallist, Jason Smyth, will be responsible for implementing the High Performance Programme for Paralympic Athletics over the coming years in the lead up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Speaking on his appointment to the position, Mr. Maguire said " I'm delighted to be taking on this role. I have been involved with the Paralympic Council of Ireland at many levels and this is a very athlete focussed organisation. Applying my skills in this role, to improve and develop athlete and coaches for the London 2012 cycle will, I know, be a very rewarding experience."
 
Speaking on the appointment, President of the Paralympic Council of Ireland, Mr. Jimmy Gradwell said, "The Paralympic Council is delighted with the appointment of Stephen as Head of Irish Paralympic Athletics. Stephen has a wealth of knowledge and experience, which he will bring to the role and this will be of huge benefit to our athletes and coaches."
 
Commenting on the appointment, Paralympic Performance Director Ms Nancy Chillingworth  said, "Stephen is a vastly experienced athletics coach from development up to the highest international level and his track record speaks for itself. We very much welcome him to the team here at the PCI and look forward to working with him in the future."
 
Maguire, one of Ireland's most successful coaches having been involved in Irish athletics for many years. A senior international coach, Maguire was named Athletics coach of the Year in 2006 and coached Irish sprint sensation, Jason Smyth to two Gold Medals and World Records in the Beijing Paralympic Games. A native of Strabane, Co. Tyrone and father of one, Maguire takes on the position of Head of Paralympic Athletics on a part time basis.

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14/09/2009 - Cycling: Another top 10 finish for the Irish in Italy

Con Collis & Michael Delaney

The Irish Paracycling Team finished off the 2009 UCI Paracycling World Championships in style today with Male Tandem pairing of Michael Delaney and Con Collis in the bunch sprint for the Bronze medal and finishing in 9th place.  The gold and silver medal had gone to Poland and Spain who have succeeded in breaking away early in the race and Poland also took the Bronze in the bunch sprint.

In the final event all eyes were on our Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan who were to the fore of the field throughout the race and were poised to attack at the top of the climb with 1k to go when the tandem from the Czech Republic cut inside them and their stoker’s foot caught the wheel of the Irish tandem forcing it to stop.  There was no way the girls could catch on to the leaders by the time they remounted and got back underway.  A very disappointing end as we felt we had a medal in our grasp.

Overall a hugely successful Road World Championships for the Irish and hopefully a step nearer the medals at the UCI Paracycling Track World Championships which take place in Manchester from 4th to 8th November.

(Info Source: D Toomey)

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13/09/2009 - Cycling: Miller misses out in bunch sprint for medals at World Championship road race today

Cathal Miller

The road race programme got under today at the  UCI Paracycling World Championships in Bogogno Italy with 3 of the Irish Squad taking part. 

Both Karol Doherty and Mark Rohan got a rude awakening to the high level of competition at this level and also the hardship of equipment failure as both suffered punctures during their events.  However both battled on to complete their first World Championships with true Irish grit and determination.

Karol finished in 23rd place in the HCC Category and Mark finished in 25th place in the HCB Category over 6 laps and 58.20km distance.

Cathal Miller gave the Irish supporters plenty to be excited about as he rode a great race in the LC1 category over 8 laps and 77.6km distance.  He was there with the leaders on each lap and when he made a break with two other riders things were looking promising.  However the bunch pulled them back and the main field were all together coming in to the twisty last kilometre and a bunch sprint for the line ensued.   Brazil took gold with Italy taking both silver and Bronze.  Cathal was officially placed 11th but 4th to 12th were all on the same time.  This was by far Cathal's  best performance at a World Championship Road Race and is gradually closing in on the much coveted medal.

In tomorrow's last day of racing tandem pairings of Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan along with Michael Delaney and Con Collis will be back in action in their road race.

Unfortunately Enda Smyth's shoulder injury has flared up after his great effort in yesterdays Time Trial so it has been decided to withdraw him from the CP4 race tomorrow to prevent the injury getting worse.

(Info Source: D Toomey)

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12/09/2009 - Cycling: Walsh & Ryan finish 5th at World Championships in Italy today

Irish Women's tandem Caroline Ryan & Catherine Walsh in action today in Italy

The Irish Paralympic Cycling Squad continued to produce the goods at the UCI Paracycling World Championships in Bogogno Italy today when the female tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and her pilot Caroline Ryan finished in a fabulous 5th place in today's Time Trial in the Blind & Visually Impaired  (B&VI) Category.  This was an improvement from the 7th place finish for the Irish tandem at the Paralympic Games in Beijing last year and the girls were just 5 seconds off the Bronze medal time today.

CP4 cyclist Enda Smyth finished in a very credible 11th place in his Time Trial despite dislocateding his shoulder in a crash just two weeks ago.

In the men's tandem race Michael Delaney and his pilot Con Collis achieved the highest ever Irish male tandem road placing when finishing in 16th place in the male B&VI category.                            

Tomorrow the road race starts and Irish handcyclists Karol Doherty and Mark Rohan along with LC1 cyclist Cathal Miller will be back in action.

(Info Source: D Toomey)

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11/09/2009 - Cycling: Irish handcyclists make their debut on the world stage in Italy today

Irish handcyclist Mark Rohan

Day one of the 2009 UCI Paracycling World Road Championships kicked off in Bogogno Italy today with 3 of the 8 Irish squad taking part in the 38km Individual Time Trial.  For the first time ever Ireland had entries in the handcycling category with Karol Doherty from Donegal taking part in the HCC Category and Mark Rohan from Athlone in the HCB Category.    In spite of being thrown in at the deep end in order to ascertain what the level of international competition is, both lads put in fine performances giving their best with Dohert finishing in 25th place in the HCC category and Mark finishing in 26th place in the HCB category. 

Veteran Irish squad member Cathal Miller was the 3rd Irish member in action and had a great ride in the Italian heat to improve on his 9th place finish in the time trial in Beijing last year finishing in 8th place today.  Just 20 seconds separated the riders between 5th and 8th place and Miller was just 55 seconds off the gold medal winner Austrian Champion Wolfgang Eibeck.  A truly great performance once again from Miller who continues to produce Personal Best performances.

(Info Source: D Toomey)

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29/08/2009 - Three year countdown to London 2012 today

Saturday 29th August represents exactly three years to go to the start of the London 2012 Paralympic Games and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) marked the milestone date by announcing the appointment of Chris Holmes MBE as its new Director of Paralympic Integration.

Progress on the Paralympic front in the last year includes:

• The Olympic Delivery Authority published its Inclusive Design Strategy last year which sets out the framework for how the Olympic Park is being designed and constructed to be accessible to disabled people. These standards have since been adopted by other organisations and bodies as an example of best practice.
   
• LOCOG is undertaking detailed work at the moment on accessible venue designs, and the overlay requirements for temporary venues to ensure that disabled spectators have an enjoyable experience at Games-time.  
   
• LOCOG will run a Games Mobility service for disabled spectators at both the Olympic and Paralympic Games. This is a service which is designed to provide assistance with spectator movement through public areas and within all competition venues.
   
• LOCOG is also looking at all aspects of accessibility in the capital, to make sure that disabled spectators are able to move around the city comfortably and easily.
   
• Planning permission has been submitted for Eton Manor which will be the Paralympic Tennis venue during the Games. It will be used as a training facility during the Olympic Games, and after the Paralympic Games it will be transformed to a hockey centre, a tennis centre and five-a-side football pitches.
   
• LOCOG's Cultural Olympiad team will launch its third major project Unlimited early this autumn. Developed in partnership with the UK Arts Councils and the British Council, Unlimited will be the UK's largest ever celebration of arts, disability culture and sport.
   
• London 2012 partners are firmly behind the Paralympic Games with a range of activities. These include Lloyds TSB which runs a "Local Heroes" campaign featuring young Paralympic hopefuls, BT is the presenting partner of the Paralympic World Cup, Deloitte runs a Parasport programme giving disabled people access to sport all over the country, adidas are kit suppliers to ParalympicsGB and British Airways has a partnership with UK Sport which benefits athletes across 20 Paralympic sports. 
   
• LOCOG launched last year the '>access now' recruitment outreach programme for disabled people, which offers a guaranteed interview for every disabled candidate that meets the person specification for any salaried role at the organisation.
   
• Key priorities in the next year will be to carry on detailed operational planning on all aspects of the Games as well as develop a public awareness campaign to educate the public about Paralympic sport and help them understand and enjoy what they watch in 2012.

Sebastian Coe, Chairman of the London 2012 Organising Committee, said: "In three years time we will be welcoming the Paralympic Games home and we will deliver a spectacular showcase for Paralympic sport.  However, we have greater ambitions. This is a golden opportunity to raise awareness of Paralympic sport, challenge stereotypes about disability and secure a legacy which would see every disabled child having access to sport. I have been completely blown away by the performances of Paralympic athletes who were doing things that so-called 'able-bodied' people could not hope to achieve.  We have always been proud to be the Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The Paralympic Games are key to our ambitions to use the Games to be a catalyst for lasting change." 

"In three years time we will be getting ready to host a spectacular Paralympic Games.  We are proud to be welcoming the Paralympics home, and are determined to deliver a spectacular sporting showcase for Paralympic sport. We want to use the power of the Games to raise awareness of Paralympic sport and to challenge stereotypes about disability and to give every disabled child a chance to have access to sporting opportunities."

Sir Philip Craven, President of the International Paralympic Committee, said: "London has already manifested its high interest in creating a great Paralympic Games with various programmes for athletes and people with a perceived disability. Although it is still three years away, London has made clear efforts to move quickly down the path of preparation for the Paralympic Games in 2012. The new infrastructure that is revitalizing the Lower Lea Valley as well as accessible sporting venues are just two examples of the tremendous legacy that will remain after the Games."

(Info Source: LOCOG press release)

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28/08/2009 - Anne Ebbs appointed as honorary life member to the Board of PCI

Anne Ebbs with IPC President  Sir Philip Craven

PCI are delighted to announce the appointment of former Secretary General, Anne Ebbs, as an Honorary Life Member of the Board of Directors.  Ebbs, retired as Secretary General in 2008 after 21 years service from the founding of the organisation.  Prior to that she worked for the Irish Wheelchair Association.  Ebbs, a former Paralympian, won medals for Ireland at the Paralympic Games in 1972 and 1976.

To honour her contribution to the Paralympic movement, she was presented with the International Paralympic Committee's highest honour - The Paralympic Order - by President Sir Phil Craven at a special ceremony in Ireland last October.

A new Honorary Board Membership category was created by the members when recently adopting revised Memorandum & Articles of Association for the organisation.  The Board are delighted to announce that Anne Ebbs accepted their invitation to join the board and continue her major contribution to the PCI.

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27/08/2009 - Rowing: Irish boats complete their maiden World Championships in Poznan

Ireland's LTAMix4+ crew in action in Posnan.

The Irish adaptive rowing team completed their first appearance at the World Rowing Championships today in Poznan, Poland.  The boats had mixed fortunes throughout the week.

The LTAMix4+ boat struggled in the opening heat coming last, however greatly improved in the Repachage to miss out on place in the A final by the narrowest of margins.  The crew of Emer Patten, Shane Ryan, Kevin Du Toit, Sarah Caffrey and Amy Judge put in a stirring performance in today's B final, winning in first place in a time of 4.03.06.  The crew finished ahead of the USA, Russia, France and Poland.

The TAMix2 crew of Karen Cromie and Vincent Culhane also competed in their B final this afternoon.  After struggling somewhat in the earlier rounds, the Irish boat finished the B final in 4th place in a time of 5.06.10

The World Championships marked the conclusion of Ireland's first competitive season internationally.  Both crews have mad significant progress with a no. of athletes competing for places on the boats in 2010.  The programmes are designed to qualify Ireland it's first rowing participants at Paralympic Games in London 2012.

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26/08/2009 - Athletics: Entries open for CPSI National Championships

The 2009 CPSI National Athletics Championships take place on the 12th September , in Santry Stadium, Dublin at 10.00am. The event is open to all Junior, Senior, Development, Competitive and High Performance Athletes. 

If you are interested in taking part in the competition please return the application to Brenda Hopkins of CPSI, either by email or by post with the appropriate fee by the 4th September.  Please note that no applications will be received after this date and no entries will be accepted on the day.

An electronic version of the application form is available by clicking here.

Registration is at 9.30am and competition will commence at 10.00am sharp.  A finalised timetable will be posted on the CPSI website prior to the event.

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11/08/2009 - Wheelchair Rugby: Irish team announced for 2009 IWRF European Championships

Irish Wheelchair Rugby have officially announced the Irish team for the 2009 IWRF European Wheelchair Rugby Championships. Ten players will make up the team, which will represent Ireland at the forthcoming Championships, to be held in Hillerod, Denmark from 11th - 17th October 2009.

Commenting on the announcement, Irish Wheelchair Rugby Chairman, Mr. Alan Lynch, said "We wish the team the very best of luck. After the success of the team at the European Qualifiers we hope to see a strong performance in Denmark. It is also refreshing and promising for the future of Irish Wheelchair Rugby to see new squad members coming to the fore. This is the beginning of a long journey for Irish Wheelchair Rugby to build towards qualifying for World Championship and Paralympic Games. This is a team of very talented players and this is a perfect opportunity for them to display their talent."

The team, captained by Alan Lynch, is looking forward to the challenge of this European Championships and is looking to improve on their current European and World rankings in the hope of qualifying for next years World Championships in Canada.

The Irish Team comprises ten athletes:

Craig McMillan, Belfast, Antrim
John McCarthy, Dunmanway, Cork (Resident in Dublin)
Alan Lynch (Captain), Tallanstown, Louth
Ronan O'Keeffe, Redcross, Wicklow
Ciara Staunton, Baltinglass, Wicklow
Sean O'Driscoll, Clontarf, Dublin
Garrett Culliton, Clonaslee, Laois
Deirdre Mongan, Milltown, Galway (Resident in Dublin)
Stephen Aylmer, Marino, Dublin
Stephen Hickey, Santry, Dublin

The Irish Team Support Staff are:

Justin Frishburg, Coach
Naomi O'Reilly
Sandra Caulfield
Martin Baxter
John McMillan

For Further Information contact Irish Wheelchair Rugby Chairman Alan Lynch at irishwcrugby@hotmail.com or Mobile (086) 2344173.

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05/08/2009 - Swimming:  Irish Swim Team for 2009 IPC European Championships announced

The Paralympic Council of Ireland today officially announced the Irish team for the 2009 IPC European Swimming Championships. Six Irish swimmers will represent Ireland at the forthcoming Championships, to be held in Rejkavik, Iceland from 15^th - 25^th October, 2009.

Commenting on the announcement, Paralympic Council of Ireland CEO, Mr. Liam Harbison, said: "We wish all our swimmers the very best of luck as they begin the road to London 2012.  After the success of Beijing 2008 in the pool, it is refreshing to see new squad members coming to the fore now."

The team, led by Team Manager Mary McDonnell, sees newly appointed Head of Paralympic Swimming and former Paralympic medallist Dave Malone, take up the position as Head Coach. The team, a blend of new and experienced athletes boasts the inclusion of  Paralympic silver medallist, Darragh McDonald and Paralympic Finalist, Ellen Keane. Speaking on the team announcement Head of Paralympic Swimming, Dave Malone said: "I am looking forward to working with the athletes in my role a head coach for these European Championships. This is the beginning of a long journey towards London 2012. This is a team of very talented performers and this is a perfect opportunity for them to display their talent. "

The Irish team comprises six athletes, across a range of disability groups, who will compete in the following events:

Stephen Campbell, Cookstown, Co. Tyrone,
S11 Class, 50m, 100m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke, 100m Butterfly.

Ellen Keane, Clontarf, Dublin,
S9/SB8 Class, 200m Individual Medley, 100m Breaststroke, 100m Butterfly.

Gina Lourens, (Resident South Africa),
S8 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle.

Darragh McDonald, Gorey, Co. Wexford
S6 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle, 50m Butterfly.

Laurence McGivern, Newry, Co. Down
S9 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle, 100m Backstroke.

Jonathan McGrath, Killaloe, Co. Clare
S8 Class, 50m, 100m, 400m Freestyle.

The Irish Team Support Staff are:        

Mary McDonnell              Team Manager
Dave Malone                   Head Coach     
Sandra Cole                     Coach         
James Laverty                  B1 Guide      
Brendan Kirrane               Sports Massage Therapist     

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01/08/2009 - Athletics: Smyth wins Athletics Ireland national 100m title in Santry today

Double Paralympic gold medallist, Jason Smyth, today added another prestigious title to his recent achievements in winning the 100m title at Athletics Ireland National Track & Field Championships at a windy Santry Stadium earlier today.  Running into a strong head wind of 2.9m/s, Smyth crossed the line with four metres to spare in a time of 10.78 to claim his first National Senior title.

The much anticipated duel with Paul Hession, 9th in last year's Beijing Olympics never materialised as Hession suffering from a head cold withdrew having won his 1st round heat.

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29/07/2009 - Cycling: Irish secure two medals at International Para-Cycling Event in Italy

Medal winners in Italy recently: Catherine Walsh, Cathal Miller & Caroline Ryan

As the Irish team continue their preparations for the UCI Para-Cycling World Championships later this year, the team continue to progress following their stirring performances at Beijing 2008.  The squads latest event was the International Paracycling Cup Road Race and Time Trial in Piacenza, Italy.  The team of six athletes and three staff travelled for the event which was supported by the majority of major cycling nations worldwide.  The athletes included Cathal Miller, Enda Smyth, Michael Delaney, Catherine Walsh and pilots Con Collis and Caroline Ryan.

The highlights of the event from an Irish perspective were the bronze medal from Cathal Miller in the individual time trial and the silver medal secured by tandem pair Walsh & Ryan.  The ladies had a tough battle with the victorious Germans and were unlucky to lose out.  The signs however, are that this new partnership is progressing very nicely and may be in with a medal winning chance at the World Championships later in the year.

The other two riders also had encouraging performances, especially on the track, with Smyth finishing 5th in the time trial with the tandem pair of Delaney and Collis finishing 7th.

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29/07/2009 - Paralympic coaches encouraged to consider IIS High Performance Coach Pursuit of Excellence Programme

The Irish Institute of Sport High Performance Coach Pursuit of Excellence Programme (PEP) aims to provide coaches within the Irish high performance sport system withthe opportunity to apply for a grant towards coaching professional development activities.  As Paralympic Sport is deemed a focus sport in the Irish High Performance sporting system, this new and innovative programme is open to coaches working with Paralympic athletes provided they meet the key criteria below:

1. Applicants must be able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the IIS that they are primarily working as a coach with athletes that are included on the International Carding Scheme at the time of application.

2. Coaches that may be eligible for Institute of Sport High Performance Coach Pursuit of Excellence Programme (PEP) must fall into one of the following categories: -
i. Head Coach
ii. Assistant Coach to Head Coach
iii. Personal coaches to high performance athletes on the International Carding Scheme.
iv. Retired high performance athletes with coaching qualifications who have demonstrated potential and have a goal to coach high performance athletes.

A guide to the PEP is for coaches considering applying is available by clicking here.

The deadline for applications to the IIS is August 28th.  Please note that applications need endorsement from the PCI, therefore please ensure that completed applications are received by the Performance Director, Nancy Chillingworth, no later than August 24th.  The application form is available to download at www.instituteofsport.ie

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23/07/2009 - Honouring the unsung heroes of Irish Sport

Martin Cullen TD, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, today launched the 2009 National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport.  The 2009 National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport is an initiative of the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism in conjunction with the Federation of Irish Sports which represents some 68 sports in Ireland (including PCI). The scheme is being supported by Setanta Sports and the Irish Sports Council.

The Awards will honour eleven individuals who are representative of the 400,000 people who volunteer their time and effort to sport in Ireland each year through their involvement with sports clubs and organisations throughout the country.  The first programme of National Awards to Volunteers in Sport was successfully held in 2007.  The award winners will be selected by a committee chaired by Olympic gold medal winner, Dr Ronnie Delany and the Awards will be presented by the Minister in January 2010. 

Speaking at the launch, Minister Cullen said "Sport at every level in Ireland could not exist without the efforts of the many volunteers who give their time freely to encourage people to become involved in sport and nurture them through the important formative years of their sporting careers.  In an age where time and community spirit are both valuable commodities, the commitment, generosity and contribution of these volunteers to our communities and society deserve recognition."

Minister Cullen added: "The 2009 National Awards to Volunteers in Irish Sport aims to recognise those men and women who undoubtedly helped every successful Irish athlete take the first steps to what in many cases have become glittering careers.  This is epitomised by the five sports stars that have joined me to launch the scheme."

Also speaking at the launch of the scheme, Sarah O'Connor, Executive Director of the Federation of Irish Sports said: "Ireland has a proud history of volunteerism in sport at all levels and this should be recognised.  I believe it is not overstating the case to say that none of today's Irish sporting heroes and heroines who bring such honour to the country would ever have had the opportunity to fully develop if it were not for the volunteers in Irish sport.  While we have many professional coaches and administrators at the highest level we should also remember the many volunteers who still give freely of their time at all levels of Irish sport to ensure we all have the opportunity to participate in sport."

Nominations for the Awards can be made by individuals or clubs on-line at www.volunteersinsport.ie which includes full guidelines and details on the 2009 Awards.

(Info Source: Federation of Irish Sports)

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22/07/2009 - Wheelchair Basketball: Irish team set for European Div. C Championships in Latvia

Ireland's Wheelchair Basketball Team competing in Latvia this week

The Irish Senior International Wheelchair team travelled to Latvia today to participate in Division C of the European Championships.  Ireland face a difficult assignment with hosts Latvia, Croatia, Lithuania, Greece and Belarus all on the horizon as they bid to reach the knockout stages of the competition.

The Belfast Knights boast four members of the panel (Calvin Watson, David Young, Jason Kennedy and Peter Mitchell), while Limerick and Dublin's Killester has three members each on the 12-man squad. UCD will be represented by Paddy O'Neill and Stephen Melvin.

The team, will be lead by Head Coach Alain Tremblay, who hails from Quebec in Canada and was at the helm when Ireland finished sixth when they hosted the European Championships in 2007.  Player/coach of the Knights, Jason Kennedy, who originally comes from Derry, has been selected to captain the Irish team for the championships. "The preparations have been going excellent," said Kennedy. "We have played a series of friendly games against the Knights and they proved extremely useful preparation. We must reach the final if we are to get promoted to Division B of European basketball and that is certainly our aim."

Irish Wheelchair Basketball Team:
Calvin Watson (Belfast Knights), David Young (Belfast Knights), Jason Kennedy (Belfast Knights), Captain John Fulham (Limerick),  Mark Barry (Limerick), Mark Rohan (Limerick), Micheal O'Cearra (Killester, Dublin), Mick Cunningham (Killester, Dublin) Mick Kelly, (Killester, Dublin), Paddy O'Neill (UCD), Peter Mitchell (Belfast Knights), Stephen Melvin (UCD).

Support Team:
Alain Tremblay (Head Coach), Orla Dempsey (Assistant Coach), Quentin Barry (Team Manager), Amanda Carty (Physio).

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22/07/2009 - Equestrian: Dressage second at Hartpury is a first for Ireland

Ireland scored a first when finishing second at the FEI Hartpury Festival of Dressage last week. The Para Equestrian team of Kathryn Wheelock, Eilish Byrne, Breda Bernie and Helen Kearney recorded the country's highest finishing position at this level when securing the runner-up spot to a dominant British team in the three-star event.

With eight teams competing in total, the Irish quartet edged ahead of Japan, but were unable to match the British score, which had been mounting early in the competition with a succession of individual first places.  However, Wheelock took a fifth with 'Indi' and a seventh on 'Taurus' in the Grade III contest, while on Wednesday former Athens Paralympic rider Breda Bernie from Cabinteely in Dublin placed 'Tula' in runner-up spot in the Grade 1B team test with Helen Kearney on 'Boris-Zeid' in fourth. Eilish Byrne with 'Youri' also had a fifth place in the Grade II team test.

The Irish team are aiming to qualify a team for the Paralympic Games for the first time at London 2012.  They will continue their preparations for next years World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA.

(Info source: Horse Sport Ireland)

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16/07/2009 - PCI appear before Joint Oireachtas Committee

For the first time, a delegation from the Paralympic Council of Ireland appeared before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Community, Rural & Gaeltacht Affairs yesterday at Leinster House.  Jimmy Gradwell (President), Liam Harbison (CEO) and John Fulham (Communications Officer) represented the PCI at the meeting.

The PCI were invited to attend and report on the performance of the Irish Team at Beijing 2008 and plans for the London 2012 Games.  A no. of the committee members expressed the view that it was unique at that committee to have an organisation report positively to them and report such strong relations with the Irish Sports Council.

Deputy Tom Kitt T.D., who was elected Chair of the Committee at the start of the meeting commented: "I would to thank the Paralympic Council of Ireland for attending today's meeting of the Committee on Arts, Sport, Tourism, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs. The Committee was very impressed with their presentation. We were encouraged by the Council's role in encouraging young people with a physical or sensory disability to become involved in paralympic sport and impressed with the fact that its preparations for the London 2012 Paralympic Games are well in train."

To view the PCI's submission to the Joint Committee, please click here.  The full transcript from the debate will be available on www.oireachtas.ie  in the coming days.

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13/07/2009 - Swimming: Malone appointed as Head of Paralympic Swimming

Dave Malone Head of Paralympic Swimming

The Paralympic Council of Ireland in association with Paralympic Swim Ireland today announced the appointment of Paralympic Gold Medallist, Mr. Dave Malone to the position of Head of Paralympic Swimming.

Malone, a three time Paralympic medal winner, will be responsible for implementing the High Performance Programme for Paralympic swimming over the coming years as part of the lead up to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. Speaking on his appointment to the position, Mr. Malone said, "I am delighted with the appointment and it's an honour for me to take this new role. I look forward to using my experience to meet the exciting challenge ahead, preparing our swimmers for London 2012."

Speaking on the appointment, President of the Paralympic Council of Ireland, Mr. Jimmy Gradwell said, "The Paralympic Council is delighted with the appointment of Dave Malone as Head of Irish Paralympic Swimming. Dave has a wealth of knowledge and experience, which he will bring to the role. Our swimmers will reap the benefit of this and their future is in a safe pair of hands. I look forward to seeing their progress over the next few years."

Commenting on the appointment, CEO of the Paralympic Council of Ireland Mr. Liam Harbison said, "Dave Malone has worked incredibly hard to make the transition from athlete to team official in a very short space of time.  With the help of the embryonic Career Development Programme and its lead, Daragh Sheridan of the Irish Institute of Sport, Dave excelled in the recruitment phase and I very much welcome him to the team here at the PCI."

Mr. Malone, a native of South Co. Dublin, is one of Ireland's most successful Paralympic athletes, representing Ireland at 4 Paralympic Games. Competing with distinction, Malone won Gold at the Syndey 2000 Paralympic Games and Silver at the Atlanta 1996 and Athens 2004 Paralympic Games. A coach with the Terenure Swim Team from 1994-2004, Mr Malone took up the position as head coach of the NAC Swim Team in 2004. Mr. Malone retired from active competition in 2008 following his participation at the Beijing Paralympic Games, bringing the curtains down on his distinguished swimming career.

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10/07/2009 - Route 2012 - PCI's activities plan to London launched today

The Paralympic Council of Ireland are pleased to launch "Route 2012" - the list of events and activities between now and the participation of the Irish Team at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.  Route 2012 has been prepared following the production of the Quadrennial Review Report by the Irish Sports Council and an intensive round of meetings with key stakeholders including the key sports representatives, the sports science & medical team and the Athletes Commission.

The document details a series of key events and activities in chronological order and provides clear timelines for the delivery of certain milestones in the preparation of the Irish team for London.  The document details many of the successful items from the Beijing Trail but has new initiatives including:

* Regular sports operational meetings
* Sports Manager development strategy
* Family liaison strategy
* NPC visit programme to LOCOG

Route 2012 will be reviewed and updated regularly and made available on this website.  To view Route 2012 click here.

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09/07/2009 - Smyth awarded honorary doctorate by Queens University

Jason Smyth receives his Honorary Doctorate at QUB earlier this week

Double Paralympic Champion and World Record holder at T13 100m & 200m, Jason Smyth, from Derry, was this week awarded an honorary Doctorate by Queen's University Belfast in recognition of his achievements over the last few years. 

Isabel Jennings, Director of StudentPlus at Queen’s University, who delivered Smyth's citation said: "Jason Smyth has the ability to connect with all people regardless of age or sporting ability. His determination, courage and humility are an inspiration to all of us. I congratulate Jason and wish him every success for the future."

In May 2008 he set a new Paralympic world record of 10.85 seconds over 100 metres, when he won gold at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester.  He then went on to win two gold medals in the Beijing Paralympics, including the 100 metres in 10.62 seconds.

On June 28 this year he set a new Irish under 23 record and new personal best of 10.42 over 100 metres, making him the fourth fastest man of all time in Ireland.

He is also a regular competitor in sighted competition and is ranked second in Ireland over 100m and third over 200m and is a strong contender for the 2012 Olympics in London.

(Info Source: Queens University Website)

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02/07/2009 - Boccia: Irish complete individual competition empty handed despite valiant effort

On a day that started with so much optimism for the Irish team with 5 players still in contention in the knock-out stages of the individual competition, the Irish team completed the day empty handed.  The day started brightly for the BC2s with Tom Leahy winning his last sixteen match 4:1 against Meints (Ned) to qualify for the quarter-finals.  On the court next to Leahy, Jason Kearney almost caused one of the upsets of the tournament against Nigel Murray (GBR) but lost out by the narrowest of margins 5:4.  Leahy lost out to Murray in the quarter-finals 8:3.

Padraic Moran (BC1) put in a fine display against seasoned campaigner and multi medalist, Antonio Marques (Por), but ended up on the wrong side of the scoreline 4:1.  For the second tournament running, Moran completed the competition ranked 5th overall.

The story for Ireland in the BC3 category was equally disappointing with both Johnny Cronin (6:3 to Rodriguez of Spain) and Steven Valentine (8:0 to Silva of Portugal) losing their quarter-final matches.  There was some comfort for Cronin and Valentine when they were later presented with their BC3 Pair silver medals with fellow team mate Gerard O'Grady at the medal presentation ceremony.

All in all, the Irish squad performed very well and have secured significant ranking points in their London 2012 qualification efforts.  Next stop on the road to qualification will be the 201o World Championships next May in Lisbon.

The Irish team are due to arrive at Dublin Airport at 11pm tomorrow (Friday 3rd July).

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01/07/2009 - Boccia: Irish in contention as European Championships enter final days play

Following the success of the Irish squad in the Team & Pair events earlier this week at the European Boccia Championships, the Irish have continued their strong form with no fewer than 5 of the 7 member squad qualifying from their pools in the Individual competition today in Portugal.

Ireland's Captain, Padraic Moran, led from the front and comprehensively one all his BC1 Pool  F matches against Aandalen (Nor) 9:1, Soulonis (Gre) 5:1, and Gleibs (Ger) 10:1.  Moran now plays experienced campaigner Antonio Marques (Por) in the quarter-finals tomorrow.

In the BC2 competition, Tom Leahy and Bobbie Connolly were unlucky to draw each other in Pool G.  Despite, winning the head to head battle between the two, Connolly was unlucky not to qualify, losing out to her compatriot on points difference.  Leahy plays Bernt Meints (Ned) in the last sixteen tomorrow.  Jason Kearney had a very convincing display, finishing second of five players in Pool B.  Kearney progresses to the last sixteen tomorrow when he will play Nigel Murray (GBR)

In the BC3 event, Ireland has two of the 8 quarter-finalists.  Steven Valentine dominated Pool G with victories over Rummukainen (Fin) 5:1, Benharkat (Ger) 5:3, and Pananos (Gre) 4:3.  In last sixteen this evening, Valentine had a very significant victory 9:6 over Portugal's former World Champion, Mario Peixoto, to set up a quarter-final with Luis Silva (Por) tomorrow.

Johnny Cronin had an equally successful day winning Pool E with 2 victories and sole loss after a tie-break.  Cronin followed this up with a comprehensive 9:0 victory in the last sixteen over Milkova (Cze), setting up a quarter-final match against Spain's Jose Rodriguez tomorrow.

Ireland's final competitor, Gerard O'Grady had a tough pool and was eliminated with 3 losses.

Further information on the 2009 European Boccia Championships as well as a live broadcasting stream are available at www.boccia2009.org

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30/06/2009 - Athletes Commission elect Breda Bernie as Athletes Representative to PCI

Breda Bernie

The new PCI Athletes Commission convened for the first time in the London cycle in Sport HQ yesterday.  In line with the terms of reference for the commission, the first meeting was used as a means for the commission members to elect their Chairperson.  The commission yesterday elected Equestrian athlete, Ms. Breda Bernie, to serve as the Athletes Commission Representative on the PCI Council and the Board of Directors.

Bernie, competed for Ireland at both the Sydney 2000 and Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.  Despite taking on the role of Athletes Representative for her 2nd four-year term, Bernie is aiming to qualify for London 2012.

 

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29/06/2009 - Athletics: Smyth becomes 4th fastest Irishman in history

 

28/06/2009 - Boccia: BC3 Pair win silver medal at European Championships

The Irish BC3 Pair today secured the European Championship silver medal in Portgual, after the narrowest of defeats in today's final in a tie-break against the hosts.  It marked the end of great day for Irish Boccia, with the BC1/BC2 Team narrowly missing out on a medal with defeat in the 3rd/4th place play off game against Spain.

The day started poorly for the Irish BC3 Pair of Cronin, Valentine & O'Grady with defeat in their final Pool C match against Greece.  The Pair looked to be heading out of the competition but secured one of the two best third place finishing spots.  This gave them a tough quarter final draw against the mighty Spanish, who topped their pool.  In one of the upsets of the event, the Irish won the match in a score of 4:2.  Next up were the Belgians, who the Irish had been defeated by in their pool.  In the semi final however the Irish won out 7:3 to secure their final place.  In a breathtaking final, the Pairs were level 6:6 each after the regulation four ends.  The Irish narrowly lost out by one ball in the tie break to end with the silver medal.

In the BC1/BC2 Team event, the Irish Team of Moran, Leahy, Connolly & Kearney had a convincing quarter final victory, 8:2, against Norway setting up a semi final against Great Britain.  In a tight match, the Irish lost 5:2 and followed this with a further narrow 6:2 defeat to Spain.

The Irish players now look forward to the individual competition which commences on Tuesday with confidence, knowing that their qualification attempts for London 2012 have received a significant boost this weekend in Portugal.

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27/06/2009 - Boccia: BC1/BC2 Team through to quarter finals of Euro Championships

After a tense first days play at the 2009 European Boccia Championships in Portugal, Ireland's BC1/BC2 Team of Padraic Moran, Tom Leahy, Jason Kearney and Bobbie Connolly just did enough in their 3 pool games to secure a quarter-final match against Norway tomorrow. 

The team, without Beijing bronze medallist, Gabriel Shelly, qualified for tomorrows quarter final despite losing two of their three Pool C matches today.  The Irish lost to the mighty Spanish 10:3 in their opening game but followed it up with a comprehensive 14:1 win over Croatia.  Unfortunately, a final 4:3 defeat to Austria left Ireland's qualification hopes in grave doubt.  A Croatian win in a tie-break against Austria was enough to secure the second place in the final pool standings for Ireland on points difference.

In the BC3 Pair competition, the Irish Pair of Johnny Cronin, Steven Valentine & Johnny Cronin had a mixed day with one victory and one defeat in their Pool C matches today.  Having lost to Belgium 4:1, the Irish responded with an emphatic 10:2 victory over Denmark.  The Irish play their final pool match against Greece tomorrow morning with a victory securing a quarter-final place.

Further information about the event is available on the competition website www.boccia2009.org

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26/06/2009 - Football 7-A-Side: CPSI & FAI seek players for Munster training squad

Are you male, aged between 10 and 25 and have cerebral palsy? The FAI and CPSI are aiming to set up regular training sessions for CP 7 a side football in Munster, with a view to feeding into the national Paralympic squad.

We will need to get enough people involved for this to be viable so if you are interested, please come along to the taster session:

Date :              Tuesday 7^th July 2009         Time : 5.30pm - 6.30pm

Venue :            Mini artificial pitch (runners are suitable) at Leisureworld, Bishopstown, Cork

Directions:   http://www.leisureworldcork.com/bishopstown/contact_us/directions.htm

For further information, or of you are interested but cannot attend on the 7^th, please contact Nick at the details below. 

Nick Harrison;
Munster Football For All Co-ordinator;
Football Association of Ireland;
Sports Campus Ireland;
Abbotstown;
Dublin 15;
M: +353 860472051
Tel: +353 1 89991539;
Fax: +353 1 89991505;
nick.harrison@fai.ie;
www.fai.ie

 

23/06/2009 - Boccia: Team Ireland begin quest for London 2012 qualification at European Championships in Portugal

Padraic Moran, who will captain Ireland this week in Portugal with on court assistant Robert Roe

The Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland  Boccia squad head to Porto this Wednesday for the CPISRA European Boccia Championships.  The BC1/BC2 Team of Padraic Moran, Tom Leahy, Bobbie Connolly and Jason Kearney will look to get there qualification for the London 2012 Paralympic Games off to a good start.  The team are currently ranked joint 4th in the world rankings. 

The BC3 team of Johnny Cronin Stephen Valentine and Gerard O Grady also kick off their London qualification effort after narrowly missing out on Beijing 2008. They are currently ranked 8th in the world. 

The Team will be led by Jacquie Connolly with  support staff Robert Roe, Rocky Judge, Stephen Kearney, Brenda Hopkins,  Siobhan O Malley, Tom Hanrahan, Tony Sheehan, Sha Kolumbage and Alan Ringland.

The team and pair competitions get underway on June 27th and conclude on the 28th.  The individual competitions run from June 30th to July 3rd.

Further information about the event is available on the competition website www.boccia2009.org  

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22/06/2009 - Cycling: Para Cycling development day confirmed for July 5th in Dublin

Cycling team manager Denis Toomey talks cycling with a ParaLion at the search day in DCU recently

Cycling Ireland today announced details of a Para Cycling Development Squad and ParaLions Track Open Day on July 5th at the cycling track in Eamon Ceannt Park, Sundrive Road, Crumlin, Dublin 20.  Those who attended the recent ParaLions day and anyone else interested are welcome to come along and participate in the development squad training camp and try out track cycling for themselves.

The event poster and contact details for the event are available by clicking here.

 

 

 

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22/06/2009 - Rowing: Irelands first ever adaptive rowing team secure bronze at World Cup event in Munich

Irelands LTAMix4+ crew in Munich

Rowing Ireland's first entry in international adaptive rowing proved highly successful with the LTAMix4+ winning the bronze medal at the Munich leg of the Rowing World Cup on Saturday. 

The Irish crew of Sarah Caffrey, Kevin DuToit, Shane Ryan, Emer Patten & cox Laura Purdy finished in 3rd place of the five entries. As the race progressed, the leading crews from Germany and Great Britain opened a length of clear water over the Irish who in turn had a similar margin over the Polish and French crews behind.  Great Britain took gold with the German crew a length behind in silver. Despite a hiccup approaching the line, the Irish crew held on to secure an historic bronze one length ahead of the Poles.

In the doubles event TA2X Ireland were represented by Karen Cromie and Vincent Culhane.  In a tight race, Ireland finished sixth of the six entries.  

Speaking following the teams return home, team manager Joe Cunningham stated: "Overall, the regatta was a great success for the Irish and will hopefully provide the springboard to greater things."

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11/06/2009 - Cycling: Cycling Ireland invite applications for the position of Development Coach

Cycling Ireland (CI) has a development coaching opportunity for a talented and ambitious cycle coach to work within its competition programmes. CI is looking to employ a Development Coach to work in cycling programmes towards London 2012. In the first instance this role is on a fixed term contract from August 2009 to July 2010. Subject to further funding the role will be reviewed and renewed on an annual basis through to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The development coach will work across a number of Cycling Ireland competition programmes within the High Performance Unit.  It is envisaged up to 30% of the coaching time will be allocated to the Paralympic Cycling Programme.

Full details of the role and the application process are available by clicking here.

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11/06/2009 - Composition of PCI Athletes Commission for London quadrennial confirmed

The principle role of the PCI Athletes Commission is to assist PCI in its preparations for Paralympic Games and advise on athlete specific issues.  The composition of the Athletes Commission has been completed and plans for the first meeting are in motion.  The athletes nominated to represent their sports on the new commission are as follows:

Athletes Commission Member	Sport
Lisa Callaghan	Athletics
Padraic Moran	Boccia
Michael Delaney	Cycling
Breda Bernie	Equestrian
Luke Evans	Football (7-a-side)
John Twomey	Sailing
Jonathan Cummings	Swimming
Kathleen Reynolds	Table Tennis

 

 

 

 

 

The purpose of the Athletes Commission is to give the athletes a forum to have a greater input into the preparation programmes of the PCI before each Paralympic Games.  It also provides a direct link for PCI to confer with athletes on particular issues.

Each London probable sport shall has one representative on the commission.  Each sports qualification status shall be reviewed each year by the Management Committee of PCI and the commissions membership altered accordingly.

Sports should be represented on the Athletes Commission by a Paralympian, if at all possible, who competed in at least one of the last two editions of the Summer Paralympic Games.  In the event that this is not possible, the athletes representative must be a member of the current senior panel of the sport.  If PCI Management decide to invite new sports onto the commission, these sports must be represented by a member of their current senior squad.

The Athletes Commission will elect their chairperson at the first meeting.  This athlete will then represent the athletes on the Management Committee of the PCI.

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11/06/2009 - Athletics: Paralympic Athletics Ireland reforms under new governance agreement

The new Paralympic Athletics Ireland (PAI) committee convened it's first meeting recently at Sport HQ in Dublin.  PAI operates under agreement between the various National Governing Bodies (NGB's) as the policy forming body for high performance Paralympic Athletics. 

The previous agreement ('06-'08) expired in Dec. following which an extensive period of negotiation between the NGB's has resulted in a new stronger PAI Agreement which will operate until Dec. 2012.  The principle improvements include:

* Athletics Ireland (AI) have become members of PAI for the first time in an advisory, non-voting capacity.
* PCI appoint an independent Chairperson to PAI
* Creation of a new part-time post - Head of Paralympic Athletics (HPA) - to be recruited by PCI & PAI

The new PAI Committee consists of:

Position	Name
Chairperson	Tony Guest
Irish Wheelchair Assoc. Rep	Pat Furlong
Cerebral Palsy Sport Irel. Rep	Cathy Dolan
Irish Blind Sports Rep	Eamon Harvey
Athletics Ireland Rep	TBC

 

 

 

 

The recruitment process for the Head of Paralympic Athletics will commence later this month.

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26/05/2009 - Cycling: Irish squad excel at Grand Prix of Wales

Ireland's Cathal Miller receives his award in Wales yesterday

Hot on the heels of their medal winning and record setting performances at last weeks Paralympic Track World Cup in Manchester the Irish Paralympic Cycling Squad were back to their winning ways finishing in first place in three of the four categories they competed in and second in the fourth category at the International Grand Prix of Wales in Newport yesterday. 

The event was run as a Track Omnium with points up for grab in the 200m sprint, the 500m/1km Time Trial and the 3km/4km Individual Pursuit. 

Cathal Miller was in flying form in the LC1 Male competition with three straight wins guaranteeing him his first big win of 2009. His time in the 4km Pursuit was 4:55.014 just 2 seconds off his record set in Beijing so we can look forward to that record falling further in the near future.

Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and Caroline Ryan set their second Irish Record of the week this time in the 1km Time Trial which they won in a time of 1:12.980 almost a full second better that the time recorded by Catherine in Beijing.  A further win in the 3km Pursuit set them up nicely for to regain the title won by Catherine and Joanna Hickey in 2008.

Not to be left out Enda Smyth competing in the CP4 Category set a new Irish Record of 1:15.025 in the 1km Time Trial and also set a new Irish Standard time of 5:24.051 when winning the 4km Pursuit.  The UCI has decided 4km will be the Pursuit distance for CP4 riders in the future up from the 3km distance  used in previous competitions.    

Female LC1 rider Ann McFarland riding in just her second Paralympic competition put in three good rides to finish in second place behind the USA rider.

Only the USA Team who won four events out scored the Team from Ireland at this the fourth running of the event in Newport. 

The squad now aim to build on these performances in preparation for the World Road Championships in Italy in September and the World Track Championships in Manchester next November.

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22/05/2009 - Cycling: Irish squad secure medals at Paralympic World Cup in Manchester

Ireland's Con Collis and Michael Delaney on the podium at  the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester today

Just 0.074 of a second is all that separated the Irish Female Tandem pairing of Catherine Walsh and her pilot Caroline Ryan from the gold medal in the 3km Pursuit at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester today.  The girls were drawn to ride off for the gold medal against the current World and Paralympic Champion British cyclist Aileen McGlynn and her pilot Vicky Begg in what turned out to be the closest fought race of the event.  

The British girls started out strongly and gained a lot of ground in the first lap but slowly and surely the Irish girls pegged back the time until the nothing seemed to separate them going in to the last lap and it needed the electronic timing to show the crowd who had actually taken the title which gave it to the British bike by a whisker.  The winning time was 3:44.355 and Walsh & Ryan's time was 3:44.429.  A truly great performance from Walsh and Ryan which is all the more awesome considering Ryan has only recently transferred from international rowing to cycling and was flown in from Dublin early in the morning to replace Joanna Hickey who picked up an injury during warm up for the 1Km Time Trial on Friday.   

But the success did not end there, the Irish Male Tandem pairing of Michael Delaney and his pilot Con Collis secured double Bronze medals for Ireland when setting new Irish Records in both the 200m Sprint Competition and the 4km Individual Pursuit Competition.  In the Bronze medal Match Sprint ride against the tandem from the Netherlands they won two straight matches responding to every attack and even when the Dutch tandem slipped inside them at one stage the managed to round them again and left them in their wake as the sprinted for the line.  The new Irish Record time was set at 11.367.  The British took both Silver and Gold.

Just a short time earlier Delaney and Collis set a new Irish Record time of 4:40.414 in the 4Km Pursuit a full 4 seconds better than the old record and good enough to secure a second Bronze Medal for the Irish duo.

Other good performances from the Irish Squad included 5th place finish by Male LC1 cyclist Cathal Miller in the 4km Pursuit in a time of 5:00.748 and 8th place in the 1km Time Trial in a time of 1:12.026.

CP4 Cyclist Enda Smyth finished in  6th place in the 3km Pursuit in a time of 3:58.430 and in 14th place in the 1km Time Trial in a time of 1:15.438.

In her first time competing at Paralympic level Tyrone cyclist Ann McFarland put in two fine performances to clinch 4th place in the 3km Pursuit in a time of 3:44.429 and 5th place in the 500m Time Trial in a time of 46.045.

With a rest day on Saturday to travel from Manchester to Newport in Wales the squad will be back in action competing in the Paralympic Grand Prix of Wales on Sunday where we look forward to more great performances from the squad.

(Info Source: Cycling Ireland)

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22/05/2009 - Coaching Ireland launches coaching people with disabilities all-island framework

03/05/2009 - ParaLions Athlete Search Day an outstanding success in DCU yesterday

The ParaLions Athlete Search Day (PASD), supported by the Irish Sports Council, was an outstanding success in Dublin City University yesterday with over 400 people participating during the course of the 6 hour event. 

The aim of the event was primarily to encourage people with disabilities into Paralympic Sport.  Each participant was briefly profiled by a group of Paralympic experts to establish the sports in which their functional profile made them eligible for Paralympic competition. Following this, they entered the exhibition hall where 16 Paralympic sports had exhibition stands and participation opportunities.  In addition, the non Paralympic sports of triathlon and Powerchair Football along with a stand manned by a group of Sport Inclusion Disability Officers where also represented.

For many, the highlight of the day was the chance to meet the stars on the 2008 Irish Paralympic Team such as David Malone, Michael McKillop, Padraic Moran, Patrice Dockery and many more.  Not only, did they meet them, they got the opportunity to participate alongside many of them during the sports demonstrations.

Many of the exhibitors reported the emergence of a wealth of new talent on the day and the potential for many of the ParaLions to be fast tracked into their sports programmes.  Who knows, perhaps one or two of the ParaLions will make the Irish Team for London 2012.

Further details on the PASD and the ParaLions programme are available by clicking here.

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23/04/2009 - Paralympic Council of Ireland appoints Chef de Mission for the London 2012 Paralympic Games

15/04/2009 - Athletics: Paralympic Athletics Ireland 2009 domestic events list published

Paralympic Athletics Ireland (PAI) today released details of the domestic events schedule for 2009 being coordinated by the three disability NGB's, IWA Sport, Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland and Irish Blind Sports.  The first event, the Leinster Open, takes place in Santry Stadium, Dublin on April 25th.

Click here to download the full list of events.

These events are also doubling up as "come and try" events for people with physical disabilities or vision impairments interested in getting involved in the sport of athletics.

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09/04/2009 - Paralympic Council of Ireland elects New President

 

Jimmy Gradwell PCI President

The Paralympic Council of Ireland is pleased to announce the election of Mr. James Gradwell as President, taking over from out going President of eight years, Mr. Tony Guest.

 

Mr. Gradwell, from Drogheda, a director of the Paralympic Council of Ireland since its foundation in 1987, has been involved in Irish sport for over thirty years.  A previous medallist at the World Bowls Championship, Australia in 1990, Mr. Gradwell was selected to participate in the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games.

 

Speaking on his appointment, Mr Gradwell said: "I am delighted to be elected as President of PCI and to take over the reins from Tony Guest. I look forward to building on all our achievements, leading the organisation with continued enthusiasm and success  towards London 2012."

 

Commenting on the appointment,  Mr. John Treacy, CEO of the Irish Sports Council stated: "I welcome Jimmy Gradwell to the Presidency of the Paralympic Council of Ireland and look forward to working with him throughout his term in office. I would like to thank Tony Guest for all his hard work and dedication over the past eight years and wish him well for the future."

 

The Paralympic Council of Ireland is also pleased to announce the election of Mr. Liam Moggan as Vice-President of the Paralympic Council of Ireland. Mr. Moggan, a well known figure in Irish sport, works with Coaching Ireland as a Coach Education Development Officer and was the Paralympic Athletics Manager for the Irish Paralympic Team at the Athens 2004 Paralympic Games.

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31/03/2009 - Swimming: Amendments to FINA rules on swimwear now implemented by IPC Swimming

Following lengthy controversy over the use of new swimsuit technology in recent times, F.I.N.A., the world governing body for swimming have addressed the issue by the implementation of the Dubai Charter.   Amendments to the requirements for swimwear have been published with immediate effect.  Following this decision, IPC Swimming have decided to implement the regulations with immediate effect also.

To download the amendments, click here.

Irish swimmers are requested to take immediate action should their existing swimwear contravene these new regulations.

IPC Swimming have also approved the 2009 Swim Ireland Long Course National Swimming Championships in the National Aquatic Centre as an approved competition.  Consequently, swimmers licensed by the IPC will have results at the event recorded on the IPC-Swimming ranking list and can use times achieved as Minimum Qualifying Standards for the IPC European Swimming Championships in Oct. 2009.

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13/03/2009 - Swimming: Paralympic Swim Ireland reformed under new NGB Agreement

The new Paralympic Swim Ireland (PSI) committee convened it's first meeting today at Sport HQ in Dublin.  PSI operates under agreement between the various National Governing Bodies (NGB's) as the policy forming body for high performance Paralympic swimming. 

The previous agreement ('06-'08) expired in Dec. following which an extensive period of negotiation between the NGB's has resulted in a new stronger PSI Agreement which will operate until Dec. 2012.  The principle improvements include:

* Swim Ireland (SI) have become full and equal members of PSI with voting and nomination rights
* PCI appoint an independent Chairperson to PSI
* Creation of a new post - Head of Paralympic Swimming (HPS) - (subject to funding) to be recruited by PCI & PSI

The new PSI Committee consists of:

Position	Name
Chairperson	Naomi O'Reilly
Irish Wheelchair Assoc. Rep	Auveen Wilson
Cerebral Palsy Sport Irel. Rep	Brenda Hopkins
Irish Blind Sports Rep	Frank Cullinan
Swim Ireland Rep	TBC

 

 

 

 

PSI got down to work very quickly with several decisions reached such as:

1) Completion of the 2009 performance plan
2) Agreement on the names of athletes included on PSI's Senior and Potential panels for 2009
3) The no. of Irish athletes to compete at the 2009 European Championships in Iceland in October is 6.  Selection criteria will be developed in the coming weeks and circulated to the athletes.  The Minimum Qualification Standards (MQS) for the event are available by clicking here
4) The invitees for the first NAC camp in early April were agreed and will receive notification in the coming days
5) Provisional plans for the Irish team for the DSE Longcourse Championships in Sheffield in May were agreed.  Pending the recruitment of the HPS and the arrival back in Ireland of the new PSI Chairperson, Auveen Wilson was appointed Team Manager for the DSE Longcourse Championships.

PSI are due to convene again in Mid April. 

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12/03/2009 - Wheelchair Rugby:  Ireland qualify for European Championships with victory in Dublin

IWA - Sport recently hosted the European Wheelchair Rugby Zonal Qualifying Championships in its HQ facility in Clontarf, Dublin.

Three teams participated in the tournament; Ireland, the Czech Republic and France with the top two teams receiving automatic qualification to the European Championships proper this coming October being held in Denmark.

The tournament was played using a 'round robin' league format with each team playing 4 games. Following the opening ceremony on Friday evening the 20th February and in front of a full house Ireland made an impressive start by beating the Czech Republic in a close encounter.  

The tournament continued throughout the day on Saturday with all the teams playing each other over the course of the day. The tournament was extremely well supported by enthusiastic spectators but a particularly impressive turnout was witnessed for the Saturday evening match between the hosts Ireland and the French.

To cap off consistently impressive team performances throughout the tournament Ireland also took Most Valuable Player (MVP) in two of the three classes, Stephen Aylmer and captain Alan Lynch being the respective winners.

www.gaelicwarriors.com

Ireland qualified as competition winners with the Czech Republic finishing as runners up.

Irish Team

Alan Lynch - Captain 
John McCarthy
Craig McMillan
Ronan O'Keeffe
Garrett Culliton
Deirdre Mongan
Stephen Hickey
Stephen Aylmer
Andy Barrow - Coach

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11/03/2009 - ISC announce 2009 high performance investment in Paralympic sport

Details of the investment in high performance sport for 2009 were announced by the Irish Sports Council at an event in Dublin today.  The investment announcement included the direct grants to athletes via the International Carding Scheme and the investment in sports performance plans.  The total investment package in Irish sport announced today was 7.38 million euro.  Speaking at the event, John Treacy, Chief Executive of the Irish Sports Council  said, "2008 was a very successful year for Irish high performance sport with Olympic, Paralympic, World & European success, as well as the fantastic achievements in golf and cricket.  As we build the high performance infrastructure in Ireland, we see sustainable and repeatable success across a number of sports.  We believe that this represents a real return on state investment in elite sport."

A total of 16 sports bodies received support for their performance plans.  This included an investment of 400,000 euro in PCI's Eye on London plan for 2009.  PCI will announce the allocation of this investment amongst the Paralympic sports in the coming days.

235 athletes and 5 teams received support under the International Carding Scheme.  This included support to 33 athletes in Paralympic sports and the Cerebral Palsy 7-a-side football team, representing a total investment of 497,870 Euro.  The breakdown of carding scheme investment to Paralympic athletes is as follows:

18/02/2009 - Athletics & Swimming athletes to register for IPC License with their NGB

It is the International Paralympic Committees' intention to create a global registry of active athletes by sport that are licensed and eligible to compete in IPC competitions.  The licensing process and associated fees replace the previously levied IPC capitation taxes that where levied on participants at IPC competitions.

As the National Paralympic Committee in Ireland, the PCI is responsible for registration of Irish athletes on an annual basis going forward.  In essence, only licensed athletes will be eligible to: 

• Compete in IPC sanctioned events
• Be considered for International Classification
• Have results recorded and included on IPC ranking lists, result listings etc.

In order to receive an IPC License for 2009, athletes in the sports of athletics and swimming are requested to submit the following information to their own National Governing Body for sport (Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland, Irish Blind Sports or Irish Wheelchair Association Sport), not the PCI, along with the annual license fee of 15 Euro. 

1)     IPC License Registration Form

2)     IPC Eligibility Code Form

3)     A copy of the information page of the athletes current passport (as per PCI policy, all NI athletes must present an Irish Passport)

4)     An electronic photograph in JPEG format on a white or blue background without headgear etc. (max. size 250 KB).  This is not required for any  athlete who participated at the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games.

Athletes are requested to have issued the required information to their NGB no later than Feb. 27th. 

This is a new process which inevitably will present with some teething problems.  After year one, the process will become significantly easier to manage as the license renewal process will be straight forward with only new athletes required to complete the full registration process. 

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11/02/2009 - Paralympic Cycling Ireland and IWA Sport host hand-cycling workshop on Feb. 21st

A one day workshop on the Paralympic discipline of hand-cycling will take place on Feb. 21st, at the ALSAA Sports Complex, Dublin from 10am-4pm.  Hand-cycling is a highly exciting sport for cyclists with spinal cord injuries and is on the Summer Paralympic Programme.  This joint initiative by Paralympic Cycling Ireland and Irish Wheelchair Association - Sport is attempting to develop the discipline in Ireland in addition to the other successful cycling classes in the country.

The workshop will have a no. of speakers including Denis Toomey, Paralympic Cycling Manager for the Beijing Paralympic Games and Didier Simons of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI).  All those attending will also be given the opportunity to try out the sport for themselves on the track in ALSAA that day. 

The official programme for the workshop is available by clicking here.

To reserve a place at the Workshop contact either Denis Toomey or Jean Daly before Wednesday February 18th.

Denis Toomey 087-2533630 e-mail dmtoomey@marathonoil.com

Jean Daly 087-1371333 e-mail jean.daly@iwa.ie

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28/01/2009 - Wheelchair rugby euro qualifiers hit Dublin in February

The Irish Wheelchair Rugby team will attempt to qualify for the European Championships when they host a qualifying group in Dublin on Feb. 20th-22nd next.  The Czechs and the French will provide the opposition in a round robin format with the top two teams progressing to the finals proper later in the year. 

The event will take place at the Irish Wheelchair Association in Clontarf, Dublin 3.  The game schedule for the weekend is as follows:

FRIDAY 20TH - 6PM	Match 1	IRELAND V CZECH REP
SATURDAY 21ST - 11AM	Match 2	CZECH REP V FRANCE
SATURDAY 21ST -  2.30PM	Match 3	FRANCE V IRELAND
SATURDAY 21ST - 5.45PM	Match 4	IRELAND V CZECH REP
SUNDAY 22ND - 10.30AM	Match 5	CZECH REP V FRANCE
SUNDAY 22ND - 1.45PM	Match 6	FRANCE V IRELAND

Paralympic sports fans are encouraged to attend and support the team's in one of the most exciting wheelchair sports in the world.

The promotional poster for the event is available by clicking here.  Up to date information is available on www.gaelicwarriors.com

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19/12/2008 - ParaLions Athlete Search Day set for May 2nd, 2009

Following the launch of the ParaLions Awareness Programme in February this year, the PCI has been inundated with completed ParaLions questionnaires from individuals with physical disabilities and visual impairments interested in getting involved in Paralympic Sport.  The contact details of these individuals have now been passed on to the appropriate national governing bodies for sport in the first instance.  The next stage will be an invitation to attend the ParaLions Athlete Search Day (PASD) which will be held in DCU Sports Complex at Dublin City University on May 2nd, 2009.

The PASD will provide all respondents the opportunity to learn all about Paralympic sport, how to get involved and meet some of the key people in the Paralympic movement in Ireland.  In addition the participants will be given the opportunity to sample the whole range of sports available in Ireland and participate with members of the Irish Paralympic Team who competed in Beijing.  The sports due to be available on the day include:

* Archery
* Athletics
* Boccia
* Cycling
* Equestrian
* Football
* Goalball
* Rowing
* Sailing
* Shooting
* Swimming
* Table Tennis
* Wheelchair Basketball
* Wheelchair Rugby
* Wheelchair Tennis

Further details about the PASD will be released nearer the date.  All those ParaLions who have completed the ParaLions Questionnaire will receive a personal invitation to the event.  If you have a physical disability or visual impairment, or if you know someone who has, it's not too late for them to be included.  Please encourage them to complete and return the ParaLions Questionnaire and return it to us at the Paralympic Council of Ireland, Sport HQ, Joyce Way, Parkwest Business Park, Clondalkin, Dublin 12.

Full details about the ParaLions programme are available by clicking here.

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04/12/2008 - Irish Team celebrate Beijing 2008 success in rousing fashion at final get together

The 2008 Irish Paralympic Team came together for the last time on Wednesday night to celebrate the success of the team at this years Beijing Paralympic Games.  The team which returned from the Games with 5 medals, 22 finalists and 24 personal bests, gathered with members of the PCI, official sponsors & supporters at a special "Celebration Evening" hosted by the PCI in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, north Dublin. 

Padraic Moran & Jimmy Byrne Jimmy Byrne & Cathal Miller Orla Barry & Jimmy Byrne Garbiel Shelly & Jimmy Byrne Jason Smyth & Jimmy Byrne

The evening began with some of the magnificent footage of the Games produced by RTE and a welcome address by President of the PCI, Mr. Tony Guest.  He paid homage to all the athletes, their coaches, managers and all volunteers who contributed to the teams success.  Liam Harbison, CEO of the PCI then issued a number of recognition awards to the commercial supporters of the team as well as state agencies who provided critical services to the athletes.  The recipients included; G&T Crampton Ltd, Speedo Ireland, Coca-Cola Ireland, Waterford Institute of Technology,  Argos, An Post, S.I.N.I, Sport Northern Ireland, Coaching Ireland, Irish Institute of Sport, Dept. of Arts, Sport & Tourism, O'Neills Irish International Sportswear, and the Irish Sports Council.  Addressing the gathering, CEO of the Irish Sports Council, Mr. John Treacy stated: "It's always a pleasure to celebrate the achievements of Irish athletes on the world stage.  The achievements of this team have been outstanding and has raised the bar for London 2012.  We look forward to supporting you in your efforts for continued success."

Following the meal, the PCI made a number of presentations to members of the 2008 Irish Paralympic Team.  Honouring the quality of the team, and it's leader, Chef de Mission, Jimmy Byrne, a special commemorative framed inscribed team photo was presented to Byrne on the night. Speaking afterwards, Byrne noted how it was such an honour to lead this team and praised the PCI for their support and work in the build up to and at the Games.

Commenting on the elite nature of the Paralympic Games and the outstanding achievement it is to produce a Personal Best on the greatest stage, Harbison announced a series of personal best awards which were presented to team members.  The recipients were:

03/12/2008 - IWA seek applications for vacant National Table Tennis Coach position

Irish Wheelchair Association – Sport are currently seeking a coach for their National Table tennis squad.

The Responsibilities of the IWA-Sport National Table Tennis Coach include:

·       The organisation of training/coaching sessions throughout the year.

·       To liaise with club/personal coaches on training programmes.

·       To develop and nurture young and developing athletes.

·       To develop and implement training programmes.

·       To liaise with IWA Director of Sport and Paralympic Council of Ireland Performance Director in relation to Elite players and their performance plans.

·       Availability to travel to tournaments both at home and abroad and attend monthly squad training sessions.

·       This is a voluntary position however travel and out of pocket expenses will be covered.

For further information please contact:

Mr Nicky Hamill

Director of Sport

Irish Wheelchair Association - Sport

Blackheath Drive

Clontarf

Dublin 3.

Email: nicky.hamill@iwa.ie 
Tel:+353 (1) 818 6422
Fax:+353 (1) 853 1256
Website: www.iwasport.com

Closing Date for declarations of interest: 20th December 2008.

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21/11/2008 - Paralympic cycling on the lookout for new talent

After a hugely successful 4 year campaign, cumulating with 3 fifth place finishes at the Paralympic games in Beijing, Cycling Ireland (CI) and the Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) are now undertaking a talent trawl to identify athletes with a disability and able bodied tandem pilots to try out for their 2012 Eye on London Programme. 

As with CI's other successful programmes, 2008 saw the introduction of a fully integrated, athlete centred and coach driven joint track and road endurance programme for the Paralympic Squad. The programme was designed to provide our selected Paralympic athletes with the correct environment to acquire the necessary skills and tactics to deliver career best performances on the track at the 2008 Paralympic games in Beijing. With 7 Irish records and countless top 10 finishes this proved very successful allowing the individuals on the squad to deliver their potential at Paralympic level.

Catherine Walsh & Joanna Hickey in action for Ireland at Beijing 2008

The success of the overall programme was highlighted with the squad qualifying 4 bikes for the 2008 Paralympic games as against just one for Athens in 2004. This was achieved by the Irish squad winning three bronze medals in Cali, Columbia last November at the Pan-American Games. The squad went on to win Ireland’s first medal at World Cup level for many years by winning the bronze in the women's 3km pursuit at the Manchester World Cup in May this year. The squad also won road stages in European Cups in Spain, with TT wins and countless podium places in competitions across the globe. A big step up from having just been placed in the top 10 at any previous World Championships.

After such a display, the programme will continue to grow this year and the selectors are looking for suitable riders to now apply in order to gain selection onto the 2009 programme with sights set firmly on a medal winning performance at London 2012.

Currently the squad consists of athletes in the following categories:

Blind and Visually Impaired – Male & Female

Locomotor Disorder (Upper limb disorder/amputees & mild spinal disorder) Male & Female

Cerebral Palsy – Male

It is hoped to expand the squad to include additional categories for 2012 including Lower Limb Disorder/amputees and Hand-cycling and female riders in all categories.

All members selected for the programme will be expected to meet identified track standards throughout the year at specific training camps or International Competitions.

Selected riders will each be provided with daily individual training programmes by the coach and will be required to fill-out dairies and return to the coach on a regular basis.

Applications are invited from riders who feel they have the qualities needed to succeed at this high level of sporting performance. It is envisaged that initial screening tests using BT Units will take place on the weekend of 7th December in Dublin.  Athletes identified as potential squad members will go forward to further Track Trials in the New Year. Applicants are required to submit the application form for the disability squad before Tuesday 2nd December.  The application form is available by clicking here

Application forms must be returned by 2nd December to info@cyclingireland.ie
For further information, contact the above e-mail address or contact Denis Toomey dmtoomey@marathonoil.com  (087-2533630) or Brian Nugent at brnugent@yahoo.co.uk (086-8333851)

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21/11/2008 - Irish Sports Council publish new 2009 Irish Anti-Doping Rules

New anti doping rules, which will come into force on January 1, have been published by the Irish Sports Council. The new Rules will ensure that Ireland is fully compliant with the new World Anti-Doping Code. The WADA Code provides the framework for harmonized anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sports organisations and among public authorities.

The new Rules include a number of modifications which will have an impact on sports and athletes. A series of technical and administrative changes to the "Whereabouts" and "Therapeutic Use Exemptions- systems will be introduced.

Notably the Rules introduce greater flexibility in the area of sanctions. It broadens the spectrum of anti-doping violations that can lead to a four year ban, including using multiple substances and using a banned substance on multiple occasions. On the other hand it allows for lesser sanctions where an athlete can prove there was no intention to enhance performance.

Dr Brendan Buckley, Chairman of the ISC's Anti-Doping Committee commented: "The fight against doping in sport requires constant vigilance. It is necessary to review our rules and procedures on an ongoing basis to ensure that they are fair and adequate to deal with current challenges. We appreciate that this is a burden for all sports agencies and for athletes. However they appreciate that it is essential and to ensure fairness for everyone involved in sport. "

The current WADA Code, which went into formal effect on 1 January 2004, underwent a thorough review and consultation with a particular emphasis on its practical application. WADA published a revised World Anti-Doping Code in the Autumn of 2007. This Code (along with a number of revised WADA International Standards) formed the basis for the revised version of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules 2009.

As the Irish Anti-Doping Rules are the anti-doping rules of the Paralympic Council of Ireland and all of it's members, all athletes, coaches etc. are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the implications of the new rules prior to the 1st January, 2009.  The new rulebook can be downloaded by clicking here (Please note document size is 7MB).

 
Anti Doping Rules 2009 - Summary of Key Changes

Key changes to the World Anti-Doping Code which have been incorporated into the Irish Anti-Doping Rules 2009:

• Increased Sanctions: The revised Code provides for an increase of sanctions in doping cases involving aggravating circumstances
• Greater Flexibility: The revised Code provides greater flexibility in relation to sanctions in general.
• Specified Substances: The definition of "specified substances" changes with the coming into force of the revised Code.
• Incentives to Come Forward: The revised Code provides stronger incentives to come forward.
• Financial Sanctions: The revised Code does not preclude anti-doping organizations from providing financial sanctions against cheaters, in addition to the period of ineligibility or other sanction imposed.
• Accelerated Management of Doping Cases: The revised Code addresses delays and calls for the acceleration of the process and management of doping cases.
• WADA's Right of Appeal: The revised Code clarifies WADA's right to appeal directly to the Court of Arbitration for Sport a case in which an anti-doping organization fails to render a decision with respect to whether an anti-doping rule violation was committed within a reasonable deadline.
• Greater Harmonization: The rules have been harmonized and made more uniform and mandatory as part of the Code review.

Additional significant changes to the Irish Anti-Doping Rules (many of which are mandatory Code provisions) are as follows:

• Therapeutic Use Exemptions (TUEs): The concept of an abbreviated TUE no longer exists and high performance athletes who currently take asthma inhalers (beta 2 agonists) will be required to seek a full TUE involving a significantly higher level of medical detail. Lower level athletes will be permitted to seek a retrospective TUE in the event of an adverse analytical finding.
• Registered Testing Pool (RTP): Missed Tests & Filing Failures: The Council is creating a more focused RTP in order to make it more strategic and to place a greater emphasis on intelligence based target testing. There will be new whereabouts requirements which will make athletes significantly more accountable for their availability for testing. The new rules will also involve sanctions for combined missed tests and filing failures.
• Sample Analysis: The Rules have been amended to clarify the Council's right to collect samples for the purpose of biological profiling and also to confirm the Council's right to reanalyse samples if appropriate.
• Results Management: The Rules now provides greater clarity with regards to tests carried out on international athletes competing at Irish events.
• Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary and Appeal Panels: There are nine panel members on the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Disciplinary Panel and six panel members on the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Appeal Panel. Under the new Rules the Panels will be interchangeable.
• Data Privacy: A new section has been added to the rules on data privacy which strengthens the protection of privacy for those involved in the anti-doping process.
• Education and Research: The Rules have been extended considerably to define in clearer terms how education and research programmes should be dealt with within the national anti-doping programme.
• Roles and responsibilities: A new section has been added clarifying the roles and responsibilities of NGBs and participants.

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20/11/2008 - Smyth wins 2008 Texaco Sports Award for athletics

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06/10/2008 - Anne Ebbs Awarded with International Paralympic Committee's highest honour – the Paralympic Order

IPC President Sir Philip Craven with Anne Ebbs after receiving the Paralympic Order

Over the weekend the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) awarded Ireland's Anne Ebbs with its highest honour; the Paralympic Order for the incalculable contribution she has made to the Paralympic Movement. She was presented with the award in person by IPC President Sir Philip Craven during a private retirement celebration hosted by the PCI in Dublin on Saturday night last.

Ms. Ebbs; outgoing Secretary General of the Paralympic Council of Ireland was instrumental in the development of Paralympic Sport in Ireland. Leading the Paralympic Council of Ireland from 1987 to 2008, Ms. Ebbs has been the driving force behind Paralympic Sport in Ireland bringing it to a position where it is equivalent to high performance sport with able-bodied federations.

In addition, she ensured all disability sport federations work together to achieve common goals as well as encouraging able-bodied federations to develop and promote opportunities for athletes with a disability within their respective sport. Ms. Ebbs also competed as an athlete in Table Tennis in four Paralympic Games (1972-1984), winning a medal at each for Ireland with her partner in the team event Angela Hendra. Anne Ebbs has steered the Paralympic Council of Ireland to the respected place it now occupies in Irish sport and as she moves into retirement leaves a wonderful legacy in her place.

Speaking at the event in Dublin, IPC President Sir Philip Craven said; "Anne Ebbs typifies that which is great about an athlete, volunteer and staff member by being committed to Paralympic Sport and fighting for the rights of athletes, thus furthering the cause of the Paralympic Movement."

The Paralympic Order is the highest tribute a person connected with the Paralympic Movement can achieve. It honours persons who have made important contributions to the Paralympic Movement, have illustrated the Paralympic ideal through their actions, have achieved remarkable merit in the Paralympic sporting world or have rendered outstanding services to the Paralympic cause.

The PCI extend our congratulations to Anne Ebbs on what is a much deserved honour of joining the Paralympic Order.

06/09/2008 - Beijing launches the Games with gusto

The City of Beijing put on a show to remember this evening in the Bird's Nest to officially open the Games of the 13th Paralympiad.  The Irish team led by flag bearer Patrice Dockery and Chef de Mission Jimmy Byrne marched around the stadium in the Parade of Athletes in front of the 91,000 capacity crowd.

The ceremony include several artistic elements created by the Chinese hosts and the formal parts of the opening of the Games, including the raising of the Paralympic flag, the taking of the athletes oath and the lighting of the torch.

Following the ceremony, the Irish team returned quickly to the Paralympic Village to prepare for competition.  Recalling the ceremony, Darrragh McDonald sated:  "Wow, absolutely amazing.  Words can't describe the experience of walking into the stadium.  Time to get the competition going.  Tonight certainly wets the appetite."

Dockery leads the way; Followed by the Irish Team; Kathleen Reynolds in anticipation in the tunnel; Taking the athlete's oath; the Paralympic Flame alight above the Bird's Nest

 

 

 

 

 

 

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06/09/2008 - Irish team all set to perform in Beijing

The Paralympic Flame of the 13th Paralympiad will arrive in the Bird's Nest in Beijing tonight to mark the start of the Paralympic Games.  Ireland's athletes are ready and raring to go in their quest for success.  They will be led into the stadium at tonight's Opening Ceremony by Dublin athlete, Patrice Dockery with the first into action at 9am tomorrow morning Carlow's Gabriel Shelly and Bray's Padraic Moran.  Other Irish participants on day one include Boccia players Bobbie Connolly and Tom Leahy, cyclists Enda Smyth, Catherine Walsh (with pilot Joanna Hickey) and Michael Delaney (with pilot David Peelo), swimmer Ellen Keane and table tennis players Kathleen Reynolds and Eimear Breathnach.

The PCI will keep you updated with extensive coverage of the Games on this website.  RTE online will also covering the Games in-depth with their site going live yesterday.  It can be accessed by clicking here.

Tom Leahy gives Beijing the thumbs up; Michael McKillop and Jason Smyth: Padraic Moran and Liam Harbison share a laugh during boccia training; Johnny Cummings and David Malone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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04/09/2008 - IPC announce games coverage on Paralympic Sport TV

Today, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has confirmed that a minimum of eight hours per day of live commentated coverage of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games will be broadcasted on  IPC's internet TV channel ParalympicSport.TV (available by clicking on the icon on the PCI Website home page). Beijing Olympic Broadcasting Co., Ltd (BOB), host broadcaster of the Paralympic Games, will provide live signals of ten Paralympic sports including Athletics, Boccia, Cycling (Track), Judo, Table Tennis, Volleyball (Sitting), Wheelchair Basketball, Wheelchair Fencing, Wheelchair Rugby, and Wheelchair Tennis.

The official programme of ParalympicSport.TV will have an interesting mixture of the aforementioned sports, with additional daily highlights provided as video on-demand. The daily highlights will also include those sports that are not covered in the live stream. SIXTY Seconds�, the daily news show presented by Paralympian Ambassador Chris Waddell, will wrap up the latest Paralympic Games News. It will be available on the main channel at www.ParalympicSport.TV, as well as on the YouTube Channel of ParalympicSport.TV at www.youtube.com/paralympicsporttv.

The IPC together with its partners Narrowstep Ltd. and brandstage.tv GmbH have agreed with Level 3 Communications on a solution for the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games to provide the live stream on ParalympicSport.TV, free of charge. Said Sir Philip Craven, IPC President: "The IPC is very happy about this great commitment for the worldwide distribution of the Games. It is superb news for those who do not have the opportunity to watch Paralympics on TV."

A detailed schedule of the live coverage will be available on www.paralympic.org. To subscribe, please visit www.ParalympicSport.TV .

(Info Source: IPC)

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02/09/2008 - Village Mayor officially welcomes Irish Team to the Paralympic Village

Chef de Mission, Jimmy Byrne in the VIP seats for today's welcome ceremony Team Ireland at today's ceremony

The 2008 Irish Paralympic Team were officially welcomed to the Beijing Paralympic Village by the Village Mayor at the Welcome Ceremony in the Welcome Plaza earlier today.  A large no. of Irish team members, dressed in their official uniforms provided by O'Neills Sportswear attended the event.  The welcome ceremony is an established element of the protocol of the Paralympic Games whereby the anthems of the participating nations are played along with the Paralympic anthem.  Included in the ceremony is the exchange of gifts between the Mayor and the Chef de Mission.   The NPC's of Belarus, Switzerland and Mali were also officially welcomed at this evening's event.

In attendance at the ceremony as one of a number of guests of the PCI was the Irish Ambassador to Ireland, Mr. Declan Kelleher. 

Following the ceremony, the Village mayor hosted a reception for the ceremony participants.

 

 

 

 

 

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01/09/2008 - Irish team hit the Paralympic Village

Following the successful Pre-Games Holding Camp at the Loong Palace Hotel, the Irish Team today headed for Beijing's Paralympic Village. The air of excitement was palpable as the buses rolled into the village's welcome centre in the Olympic Green.  After completing accreditation validation procedures the athletes and staff quickly headed for their home for the Games in Block D7, Tower 2 of the village. 

The village for these games, while compact in size, certainly makes up for it in terms of quality.  After initial inspection of the Irish base, Duleek athlete and 3 time Paralympian Lisa Callaghan stated:  " It's absolutely fantastic, definitely the best village I've stayed in.   The position of the Irish block is perfect being so close to the transport mall and dining hall.  It's just A1."

The Irish team will be officially welcomed to the Paralympic Village by the Village Mayor in a special ceremony at the village welcome plaza at 11am Irish Time.  Irish Ambassador to China, Mr. Declan Kelleher will attend the ceremony.

Irish Table Tennis player Kathleen Reynolds holds up her validated accreditation card on arrival at the Paralympic Village while swimmers Johnny Cummings and David Malone pose outside the Irish team block in Beijing earlier today

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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29/08/2008 - Irish team enjoy well earned camp break to the Great Wall

At the mid point of the team's pre-games holding camp in Beijing, over fifty members of the team availed of the opportunity to visit the "Great Wall of China".  Despite the inclement weather in Beijing today, the rain stopped for a couple of hours while the team ventured up one section of the wall. 

The excursion was on element in the comprehensive daily recreation schedule on the camp and was coordinated by PCI's partners in China, Amazing Cruises and Travel. 

The camp is now starting to wind down with the Chef de Mission, Jimmy Byrne taking possession of the Irish Team's accommodation in the Paralympic Village earlier today.  The Irish Team will move into the village on Monday morning, Sept. 1st.

Irish Team members at the Great Wall             Cycling Team Members             Patrice Dockery & Eimear Breathnach

 

 

 

 

 

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28/08/2008 - Ireland record warm-up friendly football success against China

The Irish Team at today's match V's China

As the Irish Paralympic Team continues it's preparations at their pre-Games training bases in Beijing, Hong Kong and Qingdao, the Football team recorded an emphatic 5:0 victory over the Games hosts China at the Chinese Disabled Persons Sports Training Centre earlier today.  The score line didn't flatter the Irish team as they bossed the game from start to finish. 

Despite the tough t conditions (30 degrees celcius), the Irish coped well and created several chance from the off but poor left the half time score at 1:0 courtesy of a Finbarr O'Riordan header from a Gary Messett corner.  The flood gates opened in the second half with Ireland scoring four further goals from Alan O'Hara, Luke Evans (x 2) and Joe Markey.

The Irish team continue their preparations with a game against the Beijing Celtics on Saturday.

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26/08/2008 - Ireland�s Olympic Boxing heroes greet Irish Paralympic team on their arrival in Beijing

Darren Sutherland with Ellen Keane Enda Smyth, Catherine Walsh, Kenny Egan, Jimmy Byrne, Darren Sutherland, Denis Toomey & John Joe Joyce at last nights surprise visit. Chef de Mission gets to grips with John Joe Joyce & John Joe Nevin Belfast's boys Paddy Barnes & Mark Jones Aidan Brennan, Kenny Egan, Luke Evans, Darren Sutherland & Gary Messett.

As their Olympic counterparts prepared to depart for home the Irish Paralympic team touched down in Beijing this morning, and transferred to their holding camp at the Loong Palace Hotel on the outskirts of the city, ahead of the opening ceremony in the Bird�s Nest Stadium on September 6th.

Little did the tired Irish team know what was to greet them as they arrived to their planned welcome reception in the hotel. Ireland's heroic Olympic boxing team; Kenny Egan, Paddy Barnes, Darren Sutherland, John Joe Joyce and John Joe Nevin, along with their coach Billy Walsh made the journey to the Paralympic team's base to surprise them on arrival. The Irish Paralympic team was ecstatic and greeted Ireland's Olympic heroes with a rapturous standing ovation.

Olympic silver medallist Kenny Egan told the team: "I'm so proud to represent my country and to do so and win an Olympic medal is everything to me after the years of hard work.  You all can now go on and perform for Ireland and be successful.  The village is fantastic, the Chinese people were so friendly, but most notable was the Irish support for the team when any of us were competing."

Bronze medallist Darren Sutherland added: "It's about the ultimate performance. Bring it right back to the simplest things; yes it's the Olympics, but it's the same as any tournament, my boots and pads were the same as was the size of the ring.  We've proved it can be done with a solid team behind us; you can all push on for medals too.  We certainly wish you all the very best of luck".

Ireland�s third medallist Belfast's Paddy Barnes added:  "It's been absolutely brilliant.  If I can win a medal, anyone can win a medal!"

John Joe Joyce spoke to the team about the importance of their work on mental strength: "I didn't believe in myself in Chicago that I could beat these boys and lost by 17 points there. By doing a lot of psychological work, I came here believing in myself and turned it round to beat the same guy by 5 points.  If you believe you can be successful, you will be successful."

After more words of support and encouragement from John Joe Nevin Ireland's magnificent boxing coach Billy Walsh addressed the team: "These are a great bunch of lads who have given it everything over the last number of years.  I'm delighted with the performance but am disappointed with yesterday.  It's not everyday you get the chance to fight for a gold medal and I'm gutted for Kenny as he fought a great fight and in my mind.....well�" Walsh trailed off emotionally.

Irish Paralympic athlete Derek Malone tried to articulate what this night meant to the team: "What a boost to the team at the start of our camp.  It was great to meet the boxers in the flesh after following their exploits over the last two weeks.  Their comments certainly struck a chord with the team, and fired us up for what lies ahead in the village and for the Games. What a way to start the camp!"

Paralympic Performance Director Liam Harbison summed up the impact of the visit: "To have Ireland's Olympic Boxers visit us on our camp on day one has had an amazing motivational effect on whole team.  The rapturous reception and standing ovation given to the boxers when they entered the room made the hairs stand up on the back of my neck; a special moment.  I think it's given the boxers a taste of what's to come when they head home tomorrow."

"The boxing team; led by Gary Keegan and Billy Walsh, have shown that with a proper system in place and a plan focused on performance at a major Games, a small country like ours can achieve rich success.  To have the team visit us in camp so soon after their events and assist us motivate and prepare our team reflects the great cross-sport support that exists in Irish sport. I feel we have executed an equally solid plan for the Paralympic Team.  Hopefully we can have an equally positive outcome", he concluded.