RESEARCH Research uncovers performance environment in elite Irish sport

Over 200 hundred invited delegates heard from an unprecedented number of the world’s leading experts on coaching, sports medicine and sports science at the Irish Institute of Sport’s inaugural high performance conference in Croke Park over the past two days. The preliminary findings of the Institute’s first research study exploring the performance environment for elite Irish athletes were also presented.

Delegates were made up of the community of service providers to Ireland’s elite athletes; performance directors, coaches, physiotherapists, sports medicine practitioners, physiologists, and sports psychologists. Among those to address the audience were Prof. Tim Noakes; who co-founded the Sports Science Institute of South Africa and provided sports science expertise to the recent World Cup winning South African rugby team. Noakes dealt with the role of self-belief in elite performance and the crucial part it played in the Springbox World Cup win.

Dr Ric Charlesworth; former captain of the Australian Hockey team, a Federal member of parliament for ten years before retiring to take up coaching the Australian Women’s Hockey Team which was ranked number one for eight consecutive years shared his innovative coaching techniques with the audience.

Dr Mike Stroud OBE; who has partnered Sir Ranulph Fiennes on polar expeditions and has studied human endurance under extreme conditions based on personal experience- running marathons in the Sahara and trekking across polar ice explored the area of human health under extreme conditions.

Dr. Sanjay Sharma; director of Heart muscles diseases at King’s College Hospital in London and medical director of the Flora London Marathon presented a paper on the value of cardiovascular screening in the prevention of sudden cardiac death.

The preliminary findings of the first research study commissioned by the Institute revealed some interesting data about the performance environment for Ireland’s elite athletes and highlight its complex nature.

The study, led by Dr. Suzanne Guerin and Prof Aidan Moran in UCD which is still ongoing surveyed 327 of Ireland’s elite and recently retired athletes with a view to uncovering barriers that athletes may have had to overcome during their sporting careers in order to underpin the development of services at the Institute.

Over 75% of the athlete respondents have a post leaving certificate qualification with a further 20% currently pursuing qualifications but one third of them say that their sport has affected their education in some way. One third of respondents are in employment but notably two thirds say that their sport has affected their employment opportunities and this will be explored further through the qualitative phase of the study to follow.

Determination to win was identified as the number one factor which helps elite athletes achieve in sport by respondents (94.5%) notably followed by enjoyment of the sport (92.7%). Public perception of your sport (45.5%) was identified as the top negative factor influencing performance followed by the selection process in your sport (30.9%) alongside the ability to balance lifestyle/sport (30.9%). The study is due for publication in mid march.

Sean Kelly, Executive Chairman of the Irish Institute of Sport commented; “We already knew there were issues around employment and education for the athletes so to respond we set about developing programmes to deal with these aspects. We are using the research to help refine our response.”

The Institute is running a pilot Career Development Programme at the moment with twelve athletes in conjunction with recruitment consultants; Top People. A Performance Athlete Scholarship Scheme will be the flagship lifestyle programme for the Institute this year and is at an advanced consultation stage with the third level institutions. It will allow for part-time and flexible study and assessment arrangements for athletes, free fees for ‘slow-track’ study and subsistence grants.

Other key programmes for the Irish Institute of Sport include the technical membership and fellowship programme which is currently being piloted, an applied research programme in the area of sports science which will focus on applied performance enhancing innovation, and in the area of sports medicine the development of a web based injury management system to enable more appropriate injury management and greater communication between medical professionals. The Institute will also take over responsibility for the delivery of the International Carding Scheme in addition to continuing its individual athlete interventions.

“New Horizons in Elite Irish Sport” took place in Croke Park on January 11 & 12 organised by the Irish Institute of Sport, supported by the Irish Sports Council.

Further information from Sinead McElroy, 087-6338512 smcelroy@irishsportscouncil.ie