Watersports Inclusion Games Launched in Malahide

17th May 2025

Afloat.ie Team

The 2025 Watersports Inclusion Games were launched at Malahide Yacht Club by Zoe Mulvey, Watersports Inclusion Games Ambassador, and Colm McCaffrey, Irish Sailing Education and Programme Manager. The event will take place in Malahide Yacht Club, Co. Dublin on the 5th and 6th of July in 2025

The 2025 Watersports Inclusion Games were launched on Monday, 12 May, at Malahide Yacht Club by the Lord Mayor of Fingal, Brian McDonogh. The event, set to take place in Malahide Yacht Club, Co. Dublin on the 5th and 6th of July in 2025, is a landmark event celebrating watersports for people of all abilities from the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning spectrums, and of all ages and demographics.

The Watersports Inclusion Games is a national event which aims to make watersports a more inclusive and accessible place for all. It is organised by Irish Sailing in association with Malahide Yacht Club, Canoeing Ireland, Diving Ireland and Fingal Local Sports Partnership. The event is supported with activities by Spinal Injuries Ireland and Sailing into Wellness. Offering further support are numerous local and national organisations including Safe Haven Sailing, Sail Training Ireland and clubs and training centres from around the country who will support the event with resources, volunteers, instructors and facilitators.

First run in 2017, the Games will take place on the sheltered waters of the Malahide estuary, an ideal venue to accommodate all spectrums of activity. In fact, it was Malahide YC Committee member Sean Walsh who was instrumental in the first coordinated disabled sailing project in 1981 with the Challenger Trimaran Project. This introduced wheelchair users to sailing and grew into an extremely successful programme of inclusive sailing.

There will be sailing, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and fast boat rides. Over 400 participants are expected to take part across the weekend.The games, which are now a regular landmark occasion during the summer watersports calendar, are the product of ongoing inclusion training and awareness drives being activated by the organising bodies in line with Sport Ireland’s Policy on Participation in Sport by People with Disabilities and are enabled by grant funding from Sport Ireland Dormant Accounts Sports Inclusion Fund.

Speaking at the launch, Irish Sailing COO, Sarah-Louise Rossiter said, “I am delighted to be here to launch the annual Watersports Inclusion Games. It is events such as this that will help to inspire people of all abilities to take part in watersports activities and perhaps even one day compete for Ireland in Paralympic sport."

Margaret Fay, Commodore of Malahide Yacht Club at the launch, “The Inclusion Games has become an annual landmark occasion, celebrating inclusive watersports activity. By raising national awareness of inclusive opportunities and encouraging more watersports providers to adopt an equal-access approach to watersports delivery, we aim to ensure greater accessibility on the water to enhance the lives of disabled people throughout the country; we plan to run a safe fun-filled event, it is very exciting.”

Published in Irish Sailing, Malahide YC

Published in Irish Sailing

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Irish Sailing

The Irish Sailing Association, also known as Irish Sailing, is the national governing body for sailing, powerboating and windsurfing in Ireland.

Founded in 1945 as the Irish Dinghy Racing Association, it became the Irish Yachting Association in 1964 and the Irish Sailing Association in 1992.

Irish Sailing is a Member National Authority (MNA) of World Sailing and a member of the Olympic Federation of Ireland.

The Association is governed by a volunteer board, elected by the member clubs. Policy Groups provide the link with members and stakeholders while advising the Board on specialist areas. There is a professional administration and performance staff, based at the headquarters in Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Core functions include the regulation of sailing education, administering racing and selection of Irish sailors for international competition. It is the body recognised by the Olympic Federation of Ireland for nominating Irish qualified sailors to be considered for selection to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games. Irish sailors have medalled twice at the Olympics – David Wilkins and Jamie Wikinson at the 1980 games, and Annalise Murphy at the 2016 games.

The Association, through its network of clubs and centres, offers curriculum-based training in the various sailing, windsurfing and powerboating disciplines. Irish Sailing qualifications are recognised by Irish and European Authorities. Most prominent of these are the Yachtmaster and the International Certificate of Competency.

It runs the annual All-Ireland Championships (formerly the Helmsman’s Championship) for senior and junior sailors.

The Association has been led by leading lights in the sailing and business communities. These include Douglas Heard, Clayton Love Junior, John Burke and Robert Dix.

Close to 100 sailors have represented Ireland at the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Membership of Irish Sailing is either by direct application or through membership of an affiliated organisation. The annual membership fee ranges from €75 for families, down to €20 for Seniors and Juniors.