Paralympics Ireland in associated with the Irish Institute of Sport recognized 9 top employers for providing high performance athletes with workplace support designed to deliver top performance on the international stage for Ireland. Typically this workplace support involves adjusted work hours, extra competition/training leave or unpaid work experience designed to assist athletes in making the transition from university to full time employment.
This morning's event was opened by Liam Harbison, CEO of Paralympics Ireland, who began by thanking each employer for supporting Paralympics Ireland. The success of Irish Paralympic sport became obvious to all present as there have been four Irish World Champions crowned in the last year alone. This fact was highlighted by Liam Harbison who recognised that Paralympic Ireland's aim of 'Leading elite Paralympic athletes in achieving sustained competitive excellence' would not be possible without the support of an employer who understands the demand of elite sport and is willing to back his employee to succeed in their profession and their sporting lives.
Currently forty athletes across nine different sports are on course or have already qualified for the Paralympic Games next year. Central to the success of the Irish team as a whole has been the support of the Irish Institute of Sport (IIS) and its athlete support system.
Daragh Sheridan, Head of Performance Skills at the IIS spoke of the system's success and the challenges which employers and athletes must overcome to achieve success in a professional and sporting environment. An elite athlete trains up to 25 hours a week and due to the high training demands, Daragh Sheridan stated that the role of an athlete's employer becomes "as valid as the psychologist or any member of the coaching team." Furthermore he continued to say that "the Institute's Athletes Employment Support Scheme seeks to assist athletes to effectively combine work life with training and competition. One athlete is benefiting through the scheme is current World Handcycling Champion, Mark Rohan.
Mark Rohan spoke about his life as a Paralympic athlete at the event and he spoke of his life being 'lived in two halves.' The first half being an able bodied athlete who enjoyed playing for both his club and County with the GAA before a road accident left him with four broken bones in his back and damage to his heart. This resulted in Mark being unable to play football again and after lengthy series of rehabilitation, some of which he received in France, he began his journey to becoming a World Champion. Central to his success are his employers, ESB Electric Ireland. In his speech to the assembled athletes, support staff and employers, Mark detailed how both himself and the ESB Electric Ireland were open to change, engaged in positive communication and vitally had belief in what could be achieved. ESB Electric Ireland along with Mark's training and support staff has enabled Mark's success. However this is just one of the amazing transformations that an employer has made to the life a Paralympic athlete.
Other companies which were recognized at the event were Topaz, FBD, Laois Sports Partnership, the Irish Wheelchair Association, Comreg, the HSE, the Revenue Commission, East Coast FM and the Department of Agriculture, Food & the Marine.
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