The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) Athletes’ Commission, which includes Olympic sailing star Annalise Murphy and rower Sanita Puspure, has officially launched its strategy, which is focused around four key pillars: Athlete Welfare, Athlete Voice, Athlete Impact and Athlete Spirit. The launch also marked the announcement of a €65,000 Make a Difference fund for athletes and coaches. Today’s launch took place at a social event for athletes centred around the theme ‘Enjoying the Journey.’
Several key actions were outlined at today’s strategy launch, including a Mentorship Programme which will see seasoned Olympians sharing their experiences with younger athletes. The Athletes’ Commission also outlined areas of advocacy that they will be focusing on, including the establishment of a task force to explore ways of ensuring that Olympic athletes can be better recognised in the tax system.
At the event, details of the €65,000 Make a Difference fund were released, with invitations to be extended to athletes and coaches to apply, based on the acknowledgement that in some cases vital elements of athlete performance hinges on the support that they get from coaches, sparring partners, or other individuals who are based outside their high-performance system. This fund incorporates proceeds that were raised at the recent Make a Difference golf fund raiser at the K Club.
Today’s event saw young athletes and experienced Olympians and Olympic medallists come together from over fifteen sports to hear from some of Ireland’s top athletes and to share their own stories and experiences. Tokyo 2020 Olympic Bronze Medallist in Boxing, Aidan Walsh, provided a powerful account of his journey to Olympic success, before two separate panel discussions involving Athletes’ Commission members Annalise Murphy, Paddy Barnes, Sanita Puspure and Brendan Boyce offered tips and advice on the back of their own Olympic experiences. Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Paris, Gavin Noble, also provided an update, at the event facilitated by former Athletes’ Commission member David Gillick.
Speaking at the event, Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, Shane O’Connor, who competed for Team Ireland in Alpine Skiing at the Vancouver 2010 Games, said,
“It’s really encouraging to see so many people here today, representing a wide range of sports, especially so many younger athletes, both in person and online. The Athletes’ Commission has a real opportunity to drive a positive agenda and one that is relevant to athletes. Today’s event is focusing on the importance of enjoying the journey in sport, and this is a message that we, as the Team Ireland Athletes’ Commission, want to make sure is at the heart of each athlete’s own personal journey. We want to support our athletes by ensuring that their voice is represented at decision-making tables in items relating to the athlete journey.”
Vice-Chair Natalya Coyle, who competed at three Olympic Games in Modern Pentathlon said,
“We are really pleased to launch today’s strategy, especially at this event which has brought together athletes with a range of experience, including a huge number of promising athletes who are just starting their journey. A lot of time was spent developing this strategy that we feel represents athletes in the current Irish high-performance system. We are also pleased to launch it, knowing that work has already begun in many key areas within the strategy. The plan builds on the strong foundations that were put in place by the last Athletes’ Commission. We are looking forward to progressing and to making a difference for the athletes in the coming cycle.”
The main aim of the Athletes’ Commission is to ensure that the voice of athletes is embedded in decision making structures on key matters pertaining to Olympians and aspiring Olympic athletes. The current Athletes’ Commission was elected by the athlete body earlier this year, and includes high profile Olympians and experienced athletes to represent the values and beliefs of the wider athlete body.
