Parlympic Council of Ireland announce WIT as official partners for London 2012
Paralympic Council of Ireland announce WIT as official partners for London 2012
Waterford Institute of Technology and the Paralympic Council of Ireland (PCI) today announced details of a unique partnership to prepare Ireland's elite Paralympic athletes for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
The partnership places WIT as the centre of excellence for the physiological preparation of the Irish Team. Bruce Wardrop, exercise physiologist with the Institute's Department of Health Sport and Exercise Science (DHSES) will develop and implement the Irish team's preparation strategy. In addition, sports science and other facilities at the Institute will be used to track the performance and training progress of the Irish athletes in the countdown to London 2012.
To complement the partnership, DHSES students will complete work placements with the Paralympic Council of Ireland, gaining hugely valuable professional experience. Tipperary native Nancy Troy has just successfully completed the first of these placements with the PCI. The partnership also aims to foster research activity, with Institute academics supporting the Paralympic movement by examining a range of relevant areas.
Announcing the partnership, Liam Harbison, Chief Executive Officer of the Paralympic Council of Ireland, said: "We are delighted to have Waterford Institute of Technology as official partners to the 2012 Irish Paralympic Team as we continue work towards London 2012. Our organisation is extremely ambitious and we are delighted that WIT has matched our ambition with this partnership."
"The Institute has a particularly strong reputation for excellence across a range of sports and for the way that sport is integrated to wider Institute life. This makes the partnership agreement an excellent fit. As a WIT graduate, I am particularly pleased and am delighted to continue to work with Bruce Wardrop who made a tremendous contribution to our team for Beijing 2008."
Ratifying the agreement, Prof Kieran R Byrne, President, Waterford Institute of Technology, said: "The Institute community is very pleased to support the Irish Paralympic team in their preparations for and participation in London 2012.
"Our core work as a higher education institution is all about enabling people to be all that they can be and to excel at what they do. Through this partnership, we can provide practical support with creating the conditions that allow Ireland's Paralympic athletes to flourish in ways that can inspire and excite. The Paralympic motto 'Spirit in Motion' distils well the essence of what sport is all about and we now look forward to working with the Paralympic Council of Ireland and, especially, the Irish athletes who will represent this country with pride and distinction at London 2012."
Further information is available at www.wit.ie; www.pcireland.ie and www.london2012.com
Media contact: Brian Nolan, Bance Nolan Ltd, (086) 819 1730;
Photographs Available on Request: Contact Patrick Browne, (086) 251 5700 or John Fulham, (087) 2709182
For Further PCI Information: Contact Paralympic Council of Ireland Communications Officer John Fulham (communications@pcireland.ie / 087-2709182) or visit the website at www.pcireland.ie
Additional Information:
- The Paralympic Council of Ireland was founded in 1987 and is responsible for the preparation and management of the Irish team in the lead up to, and at, the Paralympic Games, and the development of Paralympic sport in Ireland.
- Olympic style games for elite athletes with a disability were first held in Rome in 1960. Today, the Paralympics are elite sport events for athletes with disabilities. The Games emphasise the participants' athletic achievements rather than their disability. Athletes compete in various classes of competition, and are classified according to their disability.
- The movement has grown dramatically since its first days. The number of athletes participating in Summer Paralympic Games has increased from 400 athletes from 23 countries in Rome in 1960 to 4000 athletes from 153 countries in Beijing in 2008. London will host the 2012 Games. Ireland has a proud tradition at the Games, winning 5 medals (3 Gold, 1 Silver, 1 Bronze) in Beijing.
- PCI is also proudly supported by the Irish Sports Council, Irish Institute of Sport, Renault Ireland and O'Neills Sportwear.
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John Fulham
Communications Officer
Paralympic Council of Ireland
Mobile - 00353-87-2709182
Email - communications@pcireland.ie
www.pcireland.ie