Kieran Mulvey, Chairman, Irish Sports Council at The Irish Times / Irish Sports Council Sportswoman of the Year Awards
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Thanks the Taoiseach for personal commitment to sport
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Praises the exceptional performances by Irish sportswomen in 2012
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Highlights the best ever Olympic and Paralympic performances by Irish sportswomen
Firstly I want to welcome An Taoiseach, Enda Kenny TD, to this celebration today. An Taoiseach has attended other Sports Council events in 2012 notably the workshop on child protection in Blanchardstown in November. We sincerely appreciate his commitment to sport and to the work of the Council in particular.
The Minister of State for Tourism for Sport, Michael Ring TD, is also here today and I want to welcome him also. He has a great enthusiasm for sport and has given a great deal of his time and energy to the sports element of his portfolio.
The recent budget saw an announcement of a cut in the Council's budget for next year but it is not as severe as had been feared. On behalf of the Council I want to thank An Taoiseach, Minister Varadkar, Minister Ring and the officials at the Department of Sport for their ongoing efforts on our behalf of sport.
In particular I want to highlight the fact that there was an explicit connection made between the budget decision and the success of the sports sector both in terms of increasing participation and the outstanding success of Ireland's top athletes.
This has been a year of outstanding achievement by Irish women in sport. The list of winners is impressive and, as we remark each year, the standard continues to rise. It is worth highlighting that the performance at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games were the best ever by Irish sportswomen.
It is also worth highlighting the role of women in London in leadership positions in the teams; as coaches; in the media; as officials; and in just about every element of the Olympic and Paralympics Games. The gender gap is closing in every aspect of sport; this is as it should be and is warmly welcomed.
The Council is delighted to be associated with these awards as they highlight the performances of exceptional women. The initiative of the Irish Times in creating these awards should be applauded. It is one important element of the changing nature of the coverage of female sport in the media. Happily and rightfully, today's recipients are amongst the most recognised and admired sportspeople in the country.
First and foremost these awards celebrate the talent, dedication and achievements of the athletes. They deserve great credit for competing at the highest level in Ireland and in more than 70 countries worldwide while wearing the green of Ireland. These ambassadors of our country are supported by clubs, schools & colleges, coaches, partners, family and friends; we recognise their contribution and celebrate them all here today.
The National Governing Bodies are doing an excellent job and deserve great praise for producing top class athletes across a variety of sports. The Council works closely with the NGBs and has a focus on developing the organisations which remain at the heart of Irish sport. There are many representatives here today and I want to wish them well.
It is worth highlighting today that the Irish Sports Council has invested more than €40 million in the Women in Sport programme since its inception in 2005. Its focus is on promoting female participation in sport through programmes operated by National Governing Bodies of Sport and Local Sports Partnerships.
The Irish Sports Monitor is showing an increase in the level of female participation in sport. Between 2007 and 2011 participation has increased from 26% to 40% of the adult female population which is a quite remarkable statistic.
The role models here today have played their part in generating that substantial increase in participation. That engagement in sport produces significant health and social dividends for the country. That is in addition to the enormous boost provided to everyone who has made the individual choice to take part in more sport and physical activity.
2012 has been an exceptional year. In fact it was unique; we cannot hope to repeat it so we should simply celebrate it. We can look forward to another year in 2013 with its different challenges. I want to wish all the winners today every good wish for the year ahead and into the future.
Kieran Mulvey
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