Paralympic Council of Ireland 2009

Message from Liam Harbison, Chief Executive Officer, Paralympic Council of Ireland

"The Road to London looks bright for Ireland's Prospective Paralympians"

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 over 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 years 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.