IRISH SPORTS COUNCIL Irish Sports Council at Joint Oireachtas Committee
1. Introduction
On behalf of the Irish Sports Council I would like to thank the Committee for giving us this opportunity to speak with you this afternoon.
In opening I would like to make the following points:
High Performance
2. Background
The performance of the Irish team at recent Olympic Games has been the subject of much analysis. Reports, including one published by this Committee in November 2005, have sought to understand if and why Ireland has under performed at successive Games.
The debate following Sydney and Athens was not always cordial. However, it served as the catalyst for changes in the high performance system in Ireland.
The Sydney Review and the Athens Review addressed the core deficiencies in the Irish system and led directly to a new and improved way of doing business in Irish sport.
The Council has taken the lead in the implementation of the recommendations on behalf of Irish sport.
I believe any observer who studies those reports, and indeed the Report of this Committee of 2005, would conclude that the key recommendations have been implemented and significant advances have taken place.
That said it remains a young system. We are still at an early stage in the development and remain a few years behind world leaders such as Australia who famously began this process after the Montreal Olympics of 1976.
3. Role of the Irish Sports Council
The Council is the statutory agency responsible for elite sport in Ireland. The High Performance Unit is the operational unit of the Council which has driven the changes in elite sport in Ireland. Investing the money provided by the Department of Arts, Sport & Tourism the Council has radically improved the supports available to Ireland’s top athletes.
Our manner of operation is to work in close collaboration with sports that have the capacity to deliver genuine world class performances. These sports, (athletics, cycling, rowing, boxing, equestrian, sailing, hockey, Paralympics, canoeing, swimming), devise, agree and implement a comprehensive high performance plan, from juniors to seniors, that is focused on delivering success for Ireland at the highest level of international competition.
There is another group of sports, shooting, fencing, badminton, to whom we provide dedicated support to their outstanding athletes.
The sports are responsible for their athletes and their performance. They employ Performance Directors and international coaches to work with their athletes. 25 dedicated professionals are responsible for delivering the elite plans. Supported by and working closely with the High Performance Unit, the sports are empowered to create the best possible environment for their top athletes.
This sense of ownership within the sports is essential. Nothing is imposed without agreement. We have made progress through consensus. There is a real unity of purpose throughout the system which is a major advance on the past.
Critically within this system direct lines of communication are open to the athletes. The support systems are very particular to their requirements and cover areas such as specialist coaching, equipment, medical provision and lifestyle supports.
The Council has intervened directly with many of our most senior athletes. In collaboration with Performance Directors and coaches, support systems designed to meet the particular needs of the athlete have been developed and implemented. This is a very significant advance and the new, direct relationship is genuinely appreciated by the athletes.
Athletes rely on another programme for financial support the International Carding Scheme. In 2008 254 athletes and 4 teams are supported under the scheme. Covering 20 sports the Carding Scheme extends beyond international and world class. 152 junior and development athletes also receive support under the Scheme.
In 2007 there were 4,000 support interventions provided under the non-financial aspects of the scheme across the range of sports science and medical services.
4. Endorsement of the Athletes & Team
We have a team travelling to Beijing this August that we can be proud of. Each athlete who will represent Ireland at the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games is young, talented and has qualified for the Games on their own merit. They are thriving in an increasingly competitive environment and have passed through an arduous qualification process.
5. Funding
The significant increase in funding provided by the Government has facilitated the rapid and fundamental change in the way high performance supports are delivered.
€30 million has been invested in this system since the Athens Review was published. In 2008 this funding will amount to around €9 million, a major increase on the figure of €2 million invested as recently as 2002.
€5.135 million has been made available to the 15 sports in 2008 for Performance Plans. The International Carding Scheme has a budget €2.3 million. The Irish Institute of Sport will invest €835,000 in new programmes this year.
In 2008 the Olympic Council of Ireland will receive €587,000. This grant covers expenses incurred in Olympic preparation programmes as well as a substantial grant towards administration and other core functions of the organisation.
The Paralympic Council of Ireland will receive €509,000 to support the core functions of that organisation. This includes the funding of a training base in China for the preparation of the athletes in advance of the Games in September. In addition it receives €480,000 for high performance planning. The Paralympic Council functions as the relevant governing body of sport for elite athletes with a disability in Ireland.
6. Measurement
The programmes outlined are target driven and measured against agreed objectives. These include predicted numbers for Olympic qualification and, ultimately, reaching Olympic finals..
For example the Irish Amateur Boxing Association had targeted 3 boxers for Beijing. The IABA have qualified 5 boxers for the Games. That is a marked improvement on recent Games, the most since Barcelona in 1992.
As well as the exploits of World & European Champion Katie Taylor the IABA High Performance Programme has seen great success with Kenneth Egan winning a European bronze medal at Light Heavyweight in 2006 as well as numerous medals at international championships at senior and junior grades.
In athletics Derval O’Rourke won a World Indoor Championship 60 meter hurdle gold medal and David Gillick retained his European Indoor 400 meters title. Eileen O’Keeffe finished a brilliant 6th in the final of the hammer at the World Championships in Osaka last August. They are among the 13 Irish athletes who, to date, have achieved the “A” standard for Beijing, a significant accomplishment for this talented young Irish team.
In rowing Ireland’s Lightweight 4 have been amongst the best in the world in recent years, winning a World Championship silver and a bronze as well as securing the overall World Cup in 2006. They have yet to qualify for Beijing but the signs are good following a recent 5th place finish at a World Cup event in Munich. Ireland is represented by a talented rowing squad which has achieved multiple international successes in recent years, notably the qualification of the Heavyweight 4 for Beijing.
In recent days Jason Smyth broke his own World record for the 100 meters for visually impaired athletes. One of the outstanding Paralympic athletes competing on the world stage Jason is the highest profile name amongst a talented squads across a number of sports who have won multiple medals at championship level in recent years.
Sailing have qualified a boat in 4 of the 11 Olympic disciplines, exceeding their stated target. With a focus on London 2012 the ISA should be proud of their campaign and look forward with optimism to the careers of Ciara Peelo, Tim Goodbody and Ger Owens amongst others.
Without detailing the careers of every Irish athlete I want to mention that there have been significant performances in cycling, David O’Loughlin 6th in the world track championships, shooting, Philip Murphy, 2nd in the World Championships and fencing, Siobhan Byrne, qualifying for Beijing as well as canoeing,triathlon and badminton.
At this point we can project that here will be an increase over Athens 2004 in both the number of athletes representing Ireland and the number of sports represented in the team at Beijing 2008.
It is also worth mentioning at this point that the planning regime in the sports has advanced considerably since 2004. After Athens it would have been difficult to identify many of the current prospective Olympians. Today we could predict with a high degree of accuracy the composition of the Olympic and Paralympic squads in London 2012.
7. Performances in Beijing
The final composition of the Irish team is unknown and it is up to the Olympic Council of Ireland to select the team for Beijing. While I am reluctant to speculate on the likely performances of the team we are confident that we can meet our stated goal of 6 finalists or equivalent at the Olympic Games. The individual members of the team have achieved a lot over the past few years and I know they will do everything within their means to make the country proud in Beijing.
Similarly, the Paralympic Council of Ireland select the team for Beijing. Without raising expectations, we would be confident that we can meet our stated goal of 12 finalists or equivalent at the Paralympic Games in September.
We expect athletes to produce their greatest performance on a selected day once in four years, under the greatest scrutiny, in a hostile environment and against the toughest competitors they will ever face.
The Olympic Games is a very high bar to judge any individual career or the high performance programme. Any success we achieve in the Olympics will be truly worth celebrating. However, we must keep our perspective, understand the challenge we set our young athletes and judge them fairly in the context of their entire careers.
8. Olympic Council of Ireland
The various sports bodies involved are dedicated to improving the system for elite athletes. Progress has been made and the sports will hand over a talented and committed team to the Olympic Council of Ireland. We have always acknowledged the role of the OCI within Irish sport. It is at this point in the Olympic cycle, with the Games less than 80 days away, that they come centre stage.
We appreciate that the OCI has put a lot of effort and planning into the Beijing Games. We work closely with them through the Olympic Performance Committee and we have supported their efforts with significant financial aid.
The OCI has been grant aided in 2008 with €587,000, in fact more than €1.9 million over the course of the Olympic cycle. This represents a significant portion of the total investment spend in high performance sport by the Irish Sports Council.
I think this speaks loudly of our practical engagement with the OCI and their involvement in the Irish system.
9. Paralympic Council of Ireland
I want to make a special mention of the Paralympic Council of Ireland. This organisation is an exemplary sports body that has delivered excellent support to elite athletes with a disability over many years. Ireland has been consistently successful at Paralympic Games. This is a competitive global sporting environment and success does not come easily. The Paralympic Council will send a team of 44 Irish athletes to Beijing in September. This is an increase on Athens and is a substantial achievement in itself as most European countries have seen a decrease in team size since Athens.
Again I don’t want to speculate on results. However I am proud to say that those athletes have benefited from an excellent support structure.
10. Irish Institute of Sport
A key recommendation coming out of the various reports on high performance sport is the establishment of the Irish Institute of Sport. This new entity was given the green light in 2006 and much work has been done since then in building the new agency.
Its remit is to deliver services directly to elite athletes. The team at the Institute is led by Sean Kelly and I want to highlight the quality of the people appointed to the key operational areas of the Institute. The Council is confident that their work is of the highest quality and will be of great benefit to our elite athletes.
The next step is to establish the Institute as a subsidiary of the Council under new legislation. This was discussed in the Dail recently.
It was never anticipated that the Institute would make a major impact for Beijing. The Institute is a medium to long term project. The legislative status of the Institute is not an issue that impacts on performances in Beijing 2008.
The Council’s primary interest is in what the Institute can deliver; world class services to our elite athletes. The means of that delivery are of secondary importance.
The programmes of the Institute will be of great benefit to elite Irish sport. Its Operational Plan, publicly announced at a conference in January 2008, is on track.
Doping
11. Background to the Irish Sport Anti-Doping Programme
Now I will turn to the area of combating doping in sport.
The first priority of the Irish Sports Council on establishment in 1999 was to put in place a recognised and robust Ant-Doping programme. We have put in place a unified and harmonised approach to anti-doping across all sports in the country.
The Council’s fundamental objectives are based on the Council of Europe’s Anti-Doping Convention which was the first formal mechanism for international standardisation. This convention was formally ratified by the Irish government in 2003.
At the same time the government also signed the Copenhagen Declaration committing Ireland to support of the World Anti-Doping Code. With the advent of the World Code the Council introduced the Irish Anti-Doping Rules, to which all Irish National Governing Bodies of sport are signatories. These Rules were adopted in 2004 and are now the basis of all Anti-Doping matters in Ireland.
This has placed Ireland into a leading position internationally in the field of Anti-Doping. The Irish Government will soon ratify the UNESCO International Convention Against Doping in Sport, our final formal obligation in this area.
12. Operations
The Anti-Doping Programme has three main areas of activity; testing, education & research. We are engaged in some interesting education and research projects including work on sports nutrition and supplements, an area specifically referred to in the 2005 Report of the Committee.
In 2007 the Council completed 1,135 tests, an increase of 86 tests from 2006. The total comprised of 886 tests under the National Programme and 249 tests under the User Pays Programme.
This is a very high number of tests by international standards.
Under the National Programme, 60% of tests carried out were out of competition which was in line with the intended target. In total thirty seven sports were tested under the Programme.
I want to assure the Committee that every athlete who will represent Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games will be tested under this programme in advance of the Games.
In fact we guarantee that they will be tested at least 3 times by our programme in advance of the Games.
Their international federations may also test during the year. In addition, the athletes are available for testing at the Games.
13. Resources
The budget for the Programme in 2008 is €1.8 million. The Programme is operated by the Anti-Doping Unit of the Council. Currently the Unit comprises 5 officers. In addition the Testing programme is now operated in totality by the Council. This requires a team of sub-contracted, part time testing personnel who are based all over Ireland.
The Unit reports to the Council’s Anti-Doping Committee, chaired by the distinguished consultant physician Professor Brendan Buckley of Cork Regional Hospital. Members of the Committee provide analytical guidance and all have their own wide ranging areas of expertise to support the work of the Council.
14. Future Challenges
There are three main challenges in the medium term. Firstly, this area requires constant updating of knowledge, procedures, and policies. WADA will introduce new rules at the end of this year which must be rolled out in Ireland.
Secondly as part of the new approach to anti-doping, there will have to be new protocols in terms of sharing information with other statutory authorities including the Garda Sيochلna and Customs & Excise. Legislation may be required in this area.
Thirdly we must continue with our education programme to help all sports participants understand the risks associated with doping in sport.
15. Conclusion
Again, I would like to thank the Committee for your time and we are open for any questions.