I warmly welcome the representatives of the Paralympic Council of Ireland, who have been invited to this meeting to discuss the council's role and functions. Their opening statement has been circulated to members. I welcome Mr. James Gradwell, who is the president of the council; Mr. Liam Harbison, who is the council's chief executive officer; and Mr. John Fulham, the council's communications officer. I am obliged to remind them that although the members of the committee enjoy parliamentary privilege at meetings of this nature, that privilege does not extend to witnesses. This is my first meeting as Chairman of this committee. Like all the members, I look forward to hearing what the representatives of the Paralympic Council of Ireland have to say. I remind everyone that we have time constraints today, as we have to vacate this room at a certain time. I ask everyone to bear in mind that many committees are meeting today. I ask Mr. Gradwell and his colleagues to make an opening statement on behalf of the council. I will then take questions from members.
Paralympic Council of Ireland: Discussion.
Mr. James Gradwell
I congratulate the Chairman on his appointment. I thank the committee for inviting the Paralympic Council of Ireland to attend this meeting. It marks the first time the council has appeared before an Oireachtas committee. Therefore, it is an important opportunity in the context of the council's evolution and an indication of the council's position within Ireland's high performance sporting framework. I will introduce the council's delegation before I proceed further. I am the current president of the Paralympic Council of Ireland, having been elected to the position in April of this year. I served as the vice president of the council between 2001 and 2009. I am accompanied by Mr. Liam Harbison, who began his work as the first chief executive officer of the council in October 2008. He had served since January 2003 as the paralympic performance director. He has recently been appointed by the council as the chef de mission of the Irish team for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. I am also joined by Mr. John Fulham, who is the communications officer of the Paralympic Council of Ireland. In 2003, he won the European championships at both 100m and 200m. He also competed in four Paralympic Games.
The council has prepared a lengthy statement, which it submitted to the committee yesterday. As I am conscious of the time constraints mentioned by the Chairman, I will summarise the statement somewhat. I ask the committee to note the more detailed statement we have furnished to it. I will mention some of the many reasons it is important for the council to be given an opportunity to address it today. This meeting demonstrates that equality exists within high performance sport in Ireland. The importance of high performance sport to the community we serve is of immense value. Children with disabilities in Ireland need role models within their communities. There are no better role models for young children than the Irish paralympic athletes like Jason Smyth, Patrice Dockery and Dave Malone who have overcome personal challenges to excel on the world stage.
This presentation demonstrates that paralympic sport in Ireland is recognised as a high performance sport and that the Paralympic Council of Ireland is completely integrated into the high performance system. It clearly indicates that the State recognises the efforts of all the athletes, support staff and organisations that work in paralympic sport. We want people to understand that the level of competition at international level is exceptionally high and that Ireland has traditionally performed above its weight at the Paralympic Games. The profile of paralympic sport internationally and in Ireland is growing all the time. It is right that the council should be accountable for the use of public moneys invested in paralympic sport and should assess the return on such investment. Ireland's paralympic athletes have been demonstrably successful in a highly competitive environment on the back of a support system that works and delivers. The council is making a significant contribution to Irish sport. It will continue to play a part in developing Ireland's high performance sport system, in co-operation with the other bodies. I ask my colleague, Mr. Harbison, to comment further on such matters.
Mr. Liam Harbison
The Paralympic Council of Ireland is a high performance sports body that operates at the elite end of global sport. Its mission is to provide opportunities for Irish athletes with physical disabilities to compete at European and world championships and the Paralympic Games. The council is the representative body for paralympic sports in Ireland. It is responsible for the preparation and participation of Irish teams at events sanctioned by the International Paralympic Committee. The council has 17 member organisations and sports, including disability-specific national governing bodies like the Irish Wheelchair Association and able-bodied federations such as Cycling Ireland. The Paralympic Council of Ireland is the Irish body affiliated to the International Paralympic Committee and the European Paralympic Committee. Earlier this year, it joined the Federation of Irish Sports. Internationally, a strategic partnership agreement was signed by the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee in 2001. This agreement formalised prior understandings that the Paralympic Games would completely replicate the Olympic Games. Arising from that strategic international relationship, the council became a member of the Olympic Council of Ireland several years ago.
The Irish Sports Council is the Paralympic Council of Ireland's key partner. As a small organisation that provides services to a niche community, our progress in many areas has been directly linked to the increasing support of the Irish Sports Council since it was established as a statutory body in 1999. Our former secretary general, Ms Anne Ebbs, has publicly stated that the personal support and encouragement of the chief executive officer of the Irish Sports Council, Mr. John Treacy, is one of the primary reasons for the development of Irish paralympic sport as a high-performing sport and a focus sport within Ireland. A significant factor is that Mr. Treacy, as a former athlete at the highest level, clearly understands the specific requirements of athletes who want to perform. He believes that paralympic athletes need the same support as Olympic athletes if they are to achieve success for Ireland on the world stage. That support and encouragement has been a feature of every facet of the Irish Sports Council's links with the Paralympic Council of Ireland. In particular, the relationship between the council and the Irish Sports Council's high performance unit, which is led by Mr. Finbarr Kirwan, is open, honest and frank. Most importantly, it is an effective working model that has delivered over the past two paralympic cycles.
Following the Sydney review in 2000, the remit of the Paralympic Council of Ireland was expanded to include a performance remit. Along with the Irish Sports Council, the council participated in the paralympic performance committee, which is a highly effective group. The remit of the committee, which comprises three members of the Paralympic Council of Ireland and three members of the Irish Sports Council, is to jointly plan and prepare the Irish team for each edition of the Paralympic Games. All issues of concern are addressed in a professional and efficient manner, but essentially in private. Critically, the primary factor in the success of our partnership with the Irish Sports Council is that it is based on shared values. The provision of the optimum preparation and support to Ireland's paralympic athletes is at the core of our business. The partnership is an important aspect of the Irish Sports Council's investment in the Paralympic Council of Ireland and its member organisations. The support also extends to other areas, such as games planning, performance planning and programme support.
It is important to put on record that the Paralympic Council of Ireland strongly supports its current model of co-operation with the Irish Sports Council. It is the most effective means of ensuring the Irish paralympic team is optimally prepared for the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. I emphasise that the Irish Sports Council has not been found wanting when requests for support have been placed before it by the Paralympic Council of Ireland. Following the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, the Irish paralympic team was an integral component of the Athens review report and the high level planning of the Irish Sports Council. The Paralympic Council of Ireland approached the review in a co-operative manner. We viewed the report as a much-needed inspection of our work and a critical analysis of our model of preparation and performance. In addition, it tied us to a greater extent to the high performance framework in Ireland. The report clearly set out the Paralympic Council of Ireland's target for the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing as the achievement of four medals and 12 finalists, or top eight finishes. The Paralympic Council of Ireland set about planning the Beijing Games with the Irish Sports Council, through the paralympic performance committee that I have mentioned. The Paralympic Council of Ireland views each set of games as a five year project. The Beijing games cycle was the first which lasted for the entire duration. The quadrennial plan and the Beijing trail were developed and implemented. A significant achievement was the increase in team size to 45 athletes, our biggest team since the 1996 games in Atlanta. The increase ensured we had sufficient accreditations to deliver appropriate sport science and medical supports to our athletes.
The ultimate success of the Irish team was due to a comprehensive plan that was implemented over the four years of the cycle. The key success factors are too numerous to mention, but the key initiatives were the development of a team ethos with a common purpose; the extensive multi-sport camps programme, involving two whole team camps in Limerick each year and a familiarisation camp in China in 2007, exactly one year prior to the games, at which our games systems were fully road-tested and evaluated; the strategy for the delivery of sports science and medicine by appointing our provider team in 2005 and actively placing it at sports training camps and major competitions in the three-year period before the games – this ensured essential service-delivery relationships were firmly established between the sports science and medical team and the athletes and coaches long before the critical time of competition at the games; the production and implementation of the Beijing acclimatisation strategy which ensured athletes deemed to be "poor responders" to the prevailing environmental conditions, on the basis of testing in China, had specific coping strategies developed for them in order that they could perform at the games.
The partnership with the Irish Sports Council was a vital component as the cost of optimally preparing a team of this size to succeed on the global stage is significant. The planning and interaction on the basis of needs analysis but with shared values resulted in significant investment by the Irish Sports Council. While every sports organisation would like to see increased investment, finance could not be deemed a negative factor in the preparation of the 2008 Irish Paralympic team. The investment in the Paralympic Council of Ireland by the Irish Sports Council over the four years of the cycle amounted to €2.958 million. In addition, paralympic athletes were supported by the international carding scheme to the tune of €2 million over the four years.
The Paralympic Council of Ireland had a range of commercial partners in 2008, providing in most cases essential product for the athletes and support staff. The key partner was O'Neills Irish International Sportswear Company Limited which came on board as the official kit supplier of the team. O'Neills has been contracted again to provide the kit for the London 2012 team. Other partners included Argos, An Post, G & T Crampton Limited, Kelloggs, Speedo Ireland Limited and the department of health, sport and exercise science at Waterford Institute of Technology. While the fiscal climate is poor, the Paralympic Council of Ireland fully acknowledges it cannot be as reliant on Irish Sports Council investment in the coming cycle and that it will be actively attempting to secure greater support from corporate Ireland in the coming years.
Ireland's participation in the games of the 13th summer Paralympiad in Beijing was extremely successful. When one factors in the location which provided significant cultural, climatic and travel challenges, one realises the overall results were a credit to the athletes, their families, coaches, national governing bodies, the Paralympic Council of Ireland and, most important, the nation. On the whole the performance of the team was exceptional, with the key performance indicators all recording a significant return on the investment by the State. Five medals were won, three gold, one silver and one bronze. Three world records were set; there were 22 finalists across a range of sports and 24 personal best performances. To have such a large percentage of the team recording a best-ever performance on the biggest global stage is indicative of the strength of the support system and model of preparation adopted by the Paralympic Council of Ireland with the national governing bodies and State agencies such as the Irish Sports Council, the Irish Institute of Sport and Coaching Ireland.
As always at major championships, onlookers tend to use the medal haul as the evaluation tool. In this instance, the five medals marked the high points of an exceptionally talented and unified team. Who will deny the rush of adrenaline and national pride any Irish sports fan feels when the Irish jersey crosses the line first in an event? I will cherish for many years the pleasure of witnessing Irish athletes Jason Smyth from Derry — on two occasions — and Michael McKillop from Belfast win gold medals for Ireland in front of 91,000 spectators in the iconic setting of the Bird's Nest. Gabriel Shelly from Bagenalstown created the momentum for the team with his stunning victory in the third and fourth place play-off in the boccia arena on day three of the games. Shelly's display was at the highest level considering he had lost his semi-final match less than two hours before and that he was against the vocal home crowd of his Chinese opponent.
One of the finest achievements of the games was the silver medal won by 14 year old Darragh McDonald in the pool. His performance was outstanding in that his second place finish never looked in doubt after the gun commencing his 400 m freestyle final. It was a phenomenal performance by one so young in front of such a big crowd and it indicates a strong future in the sport for the young athlete. There were many other fine achievements of note, but time does not allow us to highlight them on this occasion. As with all events of this size and nature, some of the athletes were disappointed with their performances and did not fulfil their expectations. Many are already plotting their course to improve their performances in London.
One hundred and forty-seven nations competed in Beijing, of which 76 won medals, including Ireland. Ireland finished 36th in the final medals table, an improvement from 61st at the games in Athens in 2004. Ireland finished ahead of some larger nations with strong paralympic traditions such as Thailand which was 41st, Portugal which was 42nd, Norway which was 43rd and Argentina which was 58th. Ireland won three gold medals; none was secured at Athens in 2004. Interestingly, while Great Britain was second on the overall medals table, Ireland topped it on the athletics medals table.
The London 2012 Paralympic Games represent a challenging and exciting prospect for the Paralympic Council of Ireland. To have the games on our doorstep presents us with a gilt-edged opportunity to promote the abilities and achievements of paralympic athletes in Ireland. The evolving relationship with the media over the last two cycles should result in a broad spectrum of coverage across a number of media platforms at the 2012 games and a considerably greater amount of quality coverage to the Irish population.
With just over three years to go until the opening ceremony, the prospects for Ireland are very strong. When one evaluates the success achieved in Beijing, one notes the very foundation of that success was predominantly the youth of the team. Three of the four medal winners were 20 years of age or younger and have a number of Paralympic Games appearances ahead of them. In addition, when one factors in the performance of other athletes in Beijing such as Orla Barry, Padraic Moran and Ellen Keane, one realises they must be contenders for the podium in London. We hope other contenders will emerge from our ParaLions development programme in the coming years.
The success achieved in Beijing from a paralympic sport perspective was highlighted in the Beijing review report which stated: "PCI deserves praise for the excellence of its approach to Paralympic Preparation". The review has led to a revised target for the Paralympic Council of Ireland for the London games in 2012. The new targets are: a repeat of the medal success at the Beijing games, including the number of gold medals won; an increase in the number of sports in respect of which medals are won; an increase in the number of individual athletes who win medals; and an increase in the number of sports in respect of which an improvement over the performance in Beijing is recorded. These new targets are challenging and significantly raise the bar for the Paralympic Council of Ireland. However, we are up for such a challenge and accept it wholeheartedly. All our planning for the London 2012 games is geared towards attaining these targets.
Our aim is to have sustained and repeated success at the Paralympic Games. We have a highly effective, high performance system in place. It is also very cost effective. To prepare athletes for elite competition requires a high level of sophisticated support, but also financial investment. While acknowledging our programme is light this year by comparison with other years, we have specific requirements to sustain our success. We had hoped we would receive a greater allocation this year from the Irish Sports Council and have responded formally via the established means of the Paralympic Performance Committee. In addition, we have responded to the comments and recommendations made in the Beijing review report. Our dealings with the Irish Sports Council have been very detailed as a result and we are reassured it will respond positively and appropriately to requests placed before it by the Paralympic Council of Ireland in the coming three years. The strategic aim of the Irish Sports Council to achieve success at the Paralympic Games has been restated formally.
The quadrennial plan has been completed and specifies 13 key development areas with regard to preparing the team for 2012. In the first six months of this year we have had an extensive round of meetings with key stakeholders such as the athletes commission, the sports science and medical team and sports representatives, in addition to the Irish Sports Council, the Irish Institute of Sport and the Paralympic Council of Ireland's board and council members. These meetings were used to consult key groups in putting together our road map for the London games. I am pleased to report that our Route 2012 document was published last week. It is a chronological list of activities and events to take place before the games and provides clear timelines and targets for the Paralympic Council of Ireland to achieve in order to have the team prepared and ready to compete at the highest level.
The performance plan for paralympic sports is developed on an annual basis by the Paralympic Council of Ireland's new performance director, Ms Nancy Chillingworth. The 2009 plan is operational and being implemented in full. Ms Chillingworth is working very closely on the probable London qualifying sports and with the Irish Institute of Sport and the Irish Sports Council to improve the planning process for 2010 and beyond to ensure that increasingly scarce resources will be focused on key areas with the aim of achieving success in London.
The resource challenge will be difficult to overcome in the coming years as qualification is largely based on significant travel to major championships around the world in most sports. On the whole, we are confident that the Paralympic Council of Ireland will deliver a significant return on investment for the London 2012 games. We are excited by the prospect of having the second biggest sports event in the world taking place less than an hour's flight away from our shores and of bringing the splendour of paralympic sport to a much wider Irish audience in the coming three years. We have no doubt that Irish athletes who happen to have disabilities will demonstrate their elite high performance capabilities and skills to everyone and will once again be successful on the global stage.
I would like to conclude with a few key messages. Paralympic athletes operate in a highly competitive global environment. We are successful. With several colleagues in other sports such as boxing, rugby and golf, we deliver a sustained and systematic return on investment to the State. Our success is based on an athlete-centred ethos that highlights talent, expertise, hard work, team work and respect, values which we share with our key partners. The success of Irish paralympic athletes on a sustained basis is earned and should be recognised. Our tradition is strong but must be nurtured.
I thank the committee for giving the Paralympic Council of Ireland the opportunity to attend today. It is an important recognition for the position of the council and confirms our position as an integral part of the Irish high performance system. The council would like to come back in advance of and after the London 2012 Paralympic Games to update the committee on its preparations and performance.
The delegation is more than welcome to return to the committee. I am delighted this is the first delegation to attend the committee under my chairmanship. The committee has done tremendous work with the various bodies involved in this area such as the Irish Sports Council and the Olympic Council of Ireland.
Before I open the discussion for questions, I must add that one of our fantastic paralympic athletes, David Malone, is a neighbour of mine.
Mr. Liam Harbison
He commenced employment with the Paralympic Council of Ireland on Monday last as head of swimming.
I wish him all the best as he is a fantastic ambassador for the council and his country.
I congratulate Deputy Tom Kitt on his appointment as Chairman of the committee. It is an appropriate appointment, given his interest in sport, the arts and rural affairs. While he represents a Dublin constituency, they will be very proud of him in Caltra, County Galway, too. I hope his magic wand does not extend to the Connacht football final next Sunday.
I welcome the delegation. Many delegations from sports groups and governing bodies have attended the committee, but the Paralympic Council of Ireland is the envy of them all. Perhaps it might let the committee in on its secret for success. The athletes performed brilliantly — in the council's own words, the country performed above its weight — at the Beijing games with 24 personal best performances, 22 finalists, three world records and five medals won, including three golds. The council has an excellent relationship with the Sports Council of Ireland. Its role models are epitomised by Jason Smith. For those of us involved in sport, seeing such success speaks louder than words. Any success such as this does not happen by chance and I congratulate all involved. Is this success to do with the council's financial backing from the Irish Sports Council? How does its support rate in comparison to that given to other countries' teams? I am aware of boccia facilities being made available in County Mayo. What facilities are available for people to get involved with paralympic sports at a lower level than the Paralympic Games?
I congratulate Deputy Tom Kitt on his election as Chairman and look forward to working with him. We must also acknowledge the work done by Deputy Michael Kennedy and Deputy Pat The Cope Gallagher when they chaired the committee. It may be Mayo and Galway on Sunday but do not rule out the Dubs later on.
I welcome the delegation and thank it for its presentation. I congratulate the council on its work, not just for the Beijing games. Long before the games, it was not widely recognised and did not receive as much funding support while it made a valuable contribution to Irish sport. The performance at the Beijing games was excellent and way above the council's own expectations.
How does the council attract and cultivate young sportspeople? Much work must be put in to reach the high standards the council has set. It was stated qualification was difficult and not everyone who qualified could be selected. That is great as it means there is a pool of talent above and beyond what one hoped for. How is the final selection made? I am sure those who have worked hard to qualify may feel left out of the loop.
I note the swimmer, Darragh McDonald, is 14 years old. What are the age limits for the Paralympic Games? The delegation stated it wanted to see an increase in numbers for the London games in 2012. Is this for medals or those representing Ireland? Does funding come entirely from the Irish Sports Council or does it come from other sources?
I also congratulate David Malone as I know him, too. He seems to be well known to all of us.
I also congratulate Deputy Tom Kitt on his election as Chairman of the committee. I am also a new member of the committee but have followed its work closely.
I congratulate the Paralympic Council of Ireland on its work and particularly the success achieved at the Beijing games. Will the delegation give the committee more information on the support it is seeking and the financial support it gives athletes? Does the council have any plans to examine facilities available around the country for its preparations for the London games in 2012? Athletes are looking for training facilities, facilities for treatment of injuries and support which could possibly be provided in Ireland through our own specialists. We are looking at that for London in 2012. The Government is looking at facilities that might be available here for people. How does PCI fit into that?
I congratulate the Chairman, who is the third Chairman of this committee. It is good to see him here. I also thank Deputy Kennedy for acting in that role for the past couple of meetings. I am delighted to meet the PCI members this morning and to hear of their marvellous success and their commitment to the sports in which they proudly represent Ireland. I know Gabriel Shelly very well in my constituency and I remember the wonderful feeling in 2004 when he won the gold in boccia in Athens, as well as his success last year in that tough play off in Beijing against Chinese opponents. It demonstrates to us what it means to have such outstanding athletes in our community. There was great warmth when Gabriel came back to Bagenalstown and we had a great celebration in the Railway Bar in Muine Bheag. We were so proud of him to have done so well in overcoming such difficult physical challenges to reach that high and to continue for four more years. We flick on our televisions and support our heroes and heroines, but it is the training in between games that matters. Gabriel kept up that stamina and training over two Olympic games, and that is a testament to all of those here today. We are so proud of them all.
Deputy Upton alluded to the quota system. It must be heartbreaking to reach the standard and lose in the cut off. How does that work? I have played sport to a high level in college and through much of my adult life, and to succeed to a standard and not be picked because of a quota must really hit one in the gut.
I am flabbergasted that the PCI has had such a great relationship with the Irish Sports Council, as we have had some acrimonious meetings at this committee with other bodies that are not working well with the Irish Sports Council or the Olympic Council of Ireland. It is very good to have positive working relations and it is important for sport that we all get on well together. Of course there will be difficulties, but we need to make sure that our sporting bodies get the support they need. I know the witnesses are disappointed with the funding, but they will hopefully try to get a bit of leverage and get some more. Can they tell us how that is going?
We were told that Nancy Chillingworth is working very closely with the probable London qualifying sports. Will there be new sports added? I would be interested to hear if that was the case.
I congratulate the Chairman. I am delighted to have filled in for him in the meantime, and I wish him well. I did not get paid, as the finances do not allow for it, so I worked completely in a voluntary position. I also welcome the PCI delegation and I congratulate them on their brilliant report and on their fantastic successes. Most of my questions have been asked one way or another. Can the witnesses fill us in on those athletes who are close to the premier division but are not quite there? What opportunities do they have to gain the qualification from the three-year programme? Every one us who played sport but who failed to make the first team can empathise with those failing to make the standard by 0.001 seconds outside the qualifying times.
Like Deputy White, I am delighted that the PCI has a great working relationship with the Irish Sports Council. We have had different groups where there have been factions and rivalries and so on. It is nice that the PCI presented its report today and money was not mentioned once. That has always been an issue with different groups. The PCI will get more than €2 million, and I take it that it is satisfied with the backing it receives.
London in 2012 presents a great opportunity for Ireland, being a 45 minute plane journey across the water. There is a fantastic tourism opportunity involved. Has the PCI any involvement with the likes of Fáilte Ireland to bring teams from other countries here for training? There is a difference in prices between Irish hotels and elsewhere. At any rate, there should be by 2012. There is a major opportunity for Ireland and the PCI could play a particularly important role in bringing tourism here. Given the level of comradeship that exists in paralympics when compared to other sports, I would like to hear some comments on that.
Go raibh maith agat, a Chathaoirligh. Beidh mé an-ghairid ar fad. I congratulate you on your election as Cathaoirleach and I thank Deputy Kennedy for his excellent chairing of the meetings. I wish him well in his semi-retirement from the committee.
That is a slight under statement.
I also apologise for being late, but we had a couple of votes in the Seanad. It is breathtaking that we have a delegation here today involved in sport at a high performance level that has a fantastic relationship with the Sports Council of Ireland. We have had committee meetings here which have involved discordant, disconsolate and disenfranchised people. It is great to have people here today who are working with the Sports Council of Ireland. Whatever the delegation has done, can they please bottle it and sell it to the other organisations? It is not just about a model of co-operation, or about having a high performance plan, but the PCI also has tremendous athletes and their results bear testimony to that.
In their remarks, the witnesses mentioned that they were disappointed with their investment allocation. They also listed the number of organisations supporting the PCI for Beijing. Can we have a brief outline on the financial deficit? How will that have an impact? Will it impinge on the PCI's programme of work for the next couple of years?
I liked the term "performance bubble" in preparation for London in 2012! Are the witnesses ruling out being based in Ireland? Will this period be just in advance of the games? What is the reason for basing the team outside Ireland? That might need an explanation, given that we have many excellent sporting facilities here, even though I appreciate that we have many that are not up to international standard.
I thank the delegation for their work and I compliment their athletes for the immense training they have done and the performances they have delivered. It is great to have a group working in tandem with the Sports Council of Ireland. That is a model we should use across the sporting disciplines.
The Senator's contribution has summed up the views of members well. I thank the delegates for the succinct manner in which they made their case. Members read their detailed submission before the meeting and they have put their message across clearly within the time constraints under which we are operating. However, there is ample time remaining for the delegates to respond to comments by members.
Mr. James Gradwell
Most of the questions relate to issues dealt with by my colleague, Mr. Harbison, on a daily basis.
Mr. Liam Harbison
I thank members for their words of praise for the council and the athletes with whom we work. I am sure the comments extend to the member organisations, coaches and so on. I will deal with members' questions as I have noted them.
In response to Deputy O'Mahony I would say the key to our success is in the formation of a team. It is a difficult process to have athletes from throughout the State in nine sports who would not necessarily interact in the periods between Paralympic Games. Therefore, a strategy of ours is to ensure the members of the team all know each other well, whether they are footballers, swimmers and so on. This was to our advantage when we brought 80 to 90 people together for one month in a hostile environment in Beijing. Athletes tire of talking only to team mates in their particular sport and need to branch out and have other avenues. Relationships are created over three or four years among athletes and between athletes and staff, the impact of which should not be underestimated.
An issue in our favour is that paralympic sport tends not to have a high profile in the years between Paralympic Games. When athletes travel to world or European championships, there are generally poor crowds and minimal media interest. The Paralympic Games are the big show. In preparing for that competition, athletes are aware it is a massive step up. Our athletes want to be part of our programme. It is a centralised programme where everybody is brought together over three or four years. That is the fundamental aspect, that the athletes want to be together as one unified team rather than individual sports units.
Under our sports science and medical strategy, we took a strategic decision in 2005 not to place sports science teams within each sport. This was primarily a resources issue, given that we are generally a group of small niche sports. We appointed the team early and sent members to world championship training camps for a period of three years. This means that every athlete will develop a personal relationship with all the providers. When it came to the critical delivery times at the Paralympic Games, it was clear they acted as their own team within the village. This meant that where anybody had a personal crisis, whether an injury or a psychological deficit, the provider knew his or her history and how he or she operated and was, therefore, able to deliver services in a more beneficial manner. Other Irish teams do not necessarily have that benefit.
The Deputy commented on the activities of boccia players in County Mayo and asked about facilities. Facilities are always an issue in this country. At the top level there are some wonderful sports facilities. The Paralympic Council has used the facilities at the University of Limerick as our domestic training base for a period of ten years. We decided last week, with the backing of our athletes, to retain it as our base for the coming cycle. However, in the case of athletes at lower levels, it is very difficult for us to identify those athletes throughout the State who fit the profile for paralympic sports. Our ParaLions programme is an effort to support our member organisations in getting people involved in their development programmes. Development is not within our remit, but we try to support our members in that regard. The sports inclusion disability officer, SIDO, programme operates from the CARA adapted physical activity centre in Tralee and is supported by the Department. Under the programme, 21 sports inclusion disability officers work under the auspices of local sports partnerships promoting the participation of people with disabilities in sport. That was a massive boost to our programmes and means we have local connectivity. If somebody emerges in Cork, Kerry, Mayo or Galway, for example, there is a local representative whose role is to support and facilitate that person in availing of the opportunity to participate. This two-year programme is ongoing, but I suspect the dormant accounts from which it is funded are probably drying up. For that programme to be shelved or cut would be a major blow to our progress. I ask the committee to assist disability sport by making the case for the retention of the programme.
Deputy Upton asked about athlete qualification and the quota system. One of the primary differences between the Olympic Games and the Paralympic Games is that the athlete quota for the former is 8,000, while for the latter it is 4,000. The quota is set by agreement between the International Olympic Committee and the International Paralympic Committee. The lower capacity for the Paralympic Games is probably reflective of the greater need for support staff, with a personal care issue to be factored in for some participants. In terms of selection, athletes competing during the years win qualification slots for the nation. Therefore, approximately five or six months before the games Ireland will know what its athlete quota is in each individual sport and the gender breakdown. How we get around this is via a selection policy, whereby we develop and publish performance-based selection criteria. Every athlete on a panel is informed in writing of the criteria and thus has a clear blueprint for how to get on the team. In most cases, it is based on performance criteria but is more complicated in some sports such as football. The difficulty is that because the athletes are performing so well year on year, we may have to leave behind one or two who have achieved the required standard. It is a very difficult job to make these decisions, but it is a by-product of the system and we cannot get around it at this point.
Deputy Upton asked whether there was a lower age limit for participation and noted that Darragh McDonald was 14 years old. We also have a 13 year old swimmer on the team, Ellen Keane from Clontarf. There is no lower age limit in general, although there is in some sports. Our obligation to the International Paralympic Committee is that we only send athletes who are at the required standard to compete at that level. Darragh McDonald has proved he is certainly at that standard, while Ellen Keane came sixth in one of her events.
We tend not to focus on the number of medals we hope to attain. We achieved five on the last occasion and would be happy to emulate that on the next occasion and surpass it, if we can. By putting the system of support in place for the athletes, the medals will come. We always say one should focus on the job and the result will look after itself. I am confident of our success, looking at the make-up of the team, provided we keep the athletes fit and healthy. Jason Smith, Michael McKillop and Darragh McDonald should all compete in three years' time and we expect several other young athletes to be contenders. Ten athletes have come through the ParaLions programme in the last two months and are already being fast-tracked onto the national squad. Some contenders may come through in that way.
An interesting point to note is that at the time of the Athens games we did not know about Jason Smith, Michael McKillop or Darragh McDonald. There are many people who are active in sport in Ireland within the able bodied federations but who are unaware that they may qualify to participate in paralympic sport. They tend to emerge as they become more proficient in the able bodied stream of the sports. There are one or two athletes within the Athletic Association of Ireland set-up who have come to our attention in recent months and we hope to bring them on stream.
Regarding sources of funding, the profile of paralympic sport in Ireland is growing. We hope in time to develop stronger relationships, whereby some commercial institutions will begin investing finance rather than product. We have been heavily reliant on the Irish Sports Council and that investment has grown incrementally in the past nine to ten years. However, it has grown on the basis of the plan put before the Irish Sports Council which has responded positively to most initiatives we have put to it. It is a working partnership and a model that we believe works. While we certainly are reliant on it, I hope this relationship will continue.
A number of comments were made about other organisations coming before the joint committee and how the tone of today's meeting differs slightly from that at meetings with other organisations. We have observed the proceedings of the committee in recent months and considered that the negative aspect of sport was coming through and that some organisations were being knocked. I considered that it was important for us to indicate that we had a model that worked and that some of the negative targeting of agencies by other organisations was not justified. We thought it was time some positive aspects of the high performance system in Ireland were brought to the table, which essentially is the reason we are here.
Deputy Michael Kitt asked for more detail on the cost breakdown. The investment of €2.96 million was spread over four years and covered two specific strands. We have our core costs which include administration, both pay and non-pay items, the running of the office, etc. It also includes programmes, including the Beijing games and training camp costs which are substantial. The cost to the council of competing in Beijing last year was €467,000 by the time the cost of flights, training camps etc. was covered. We had our own training base which we operated completely independently of the International Paralympic Committee, IPC, in Beijing in advance of the games. On the other side, we have the performance plan, whereby paralympics are deemed to be one of the 15 focus sports in the high performance system and we compete for our share of the high performance planning pot. We received €600,000 from the fund last year which we invest year on year in the range of nine sports likely to qualify for the London games.
I have touched on the facilities available and believe Senator Buttimer made a couple of comments about our position on training camps and the use of facilities in Ireland. Our training camps plan for the coming cycle is ready to go and we will be using Limerick as our domestic base. We will bring the team together over two three-day weekends each year. That is just as the Paralympic Council of Ireland, as each sport also will have its own individual sport-specific training camps. However, for a number of reasons our plan is to use neither Ireland nor the United Kingdom as a holding camp base for the games in London. Despite its close proximity, we must try to create the aforementioned performance bubble, in which we get the team away and develop that team bond whereby it is purely focused on preparation and training within a supportive environment with the complete sports science and medical team. There will be added pressure while the Olympic Games are taking place and we have taken the view that there would be too much possible interference with the camp by family members, friends, media, etc. We do not believe we can create the correct environment to prepare the team adequately in Ireland or the United Kingdom. In addition, the teams of a number of nations may come here to train in advance of the games in London which then will put pressure on space in facilities, lane spaces, etc. Consequently, having gone through all the detail, we consider the best policy is to move away from these shores. We are examining locations in Europe. The plan, however, is to go away for perhaps five to ten days and then to return to Ireland for two or three days. This will ensure we will not have such a long break away from home and perhaps satisfy some of the other requirements pertaining to athletes being with family members, etc. in order that there will be no draw on the team members once they travel to London.
As for Deputy White's question, I believe I covered the quota system earlier. I thank her for her comments about Gabriel Shelly who won his gold medal at the games in Sydney in 2000. He has struggled in the intervening years and is injured again. I hope he will be back up and running next year. He certainly is an amazing athlete who has been a major role model for paralympic sport.
On funding, our submission noted that we were somewhat disappointed with this year's allocation. That said, it is the first year of a cycle and this was expected to an extent. However, we have responded formally and essentially in private to the Irish Sports Council. We are working through the issues and are confident the council will come back on-stream in 2010 and beyond and ensure the team will be adequately supported for the entirety of the remainder of the preparation programme.
As for the probable sports to be included in the London games, our programmes are focused directly on targeting performance at a paralympic games. While 20 sports are included in the paralympic programme, in Ireland we really only have programmes in respect of 14 or 15 of these sports. We participated in nine at Beijing. Rowing took place in Beijing for the first time, albeit without Irish representation. However, a strong programme is developing in this regard and the first Irish boats competed at a world cup event in Munich last month and secured a bronze medal at the first outing. Interestingly, the Irish rowing team for the World Rowing Championships next month in Poznan will consist of one able-bodied team and two adapted rowing boat teams, a significant development. It is to be hoped they will join the programme for the games in London and will put in a solid performance to firmly establish themselves within Irish paralympic sport. As for some of the other sports, because of the nature of the qualification system, they probably are not at the level at which they will qualify for the Paralympic Games. In some of the team sports only eight teams worldwide can qualify. As a small nation, our population size makes it difficult to get athletes in sufficient numbers or quality to be able to compete at the very highest level. That said, teams in such sports still compete in second or third divisions within European or world championships.
I believe I have covered Deputy Kennedy's comments on the opportunities at base level by referring to the sports inclusion disability officer, SIDO, programme. While we obviously would like to see some more, the SIDO programme is fundamental to maintaining opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in physical activity within their local area. The Deputy also referred to links with Tourism Ireland and the possibility of other sports teams coming here. Our remit is focused purely on Irish athletes competing at the Paralympic Games, into which we need to put all our energy. Ours is a small organisation with four staff and our priority always will be to support the athletes to ensure they have the opportunity to perform at the highest level. That said, should any opportunity arise within the paralympic movement globally, we certainly will advise interested parties of the potential to access effective and good facilities in Ireland for training camp purposes in the coming years. We have no formal or established links with Tourism Ireland to date.
I believe I have covered most of the points raised.
Mr. Harbison mentioned the threat to the disability officers in the sports partnerships. He also mentioned that it would be a setback were the funding for their positions to be threatened in any way. Does the Paralympics Council of Ireland have information that suggests this might be the case?
Mr. Liam Harbison
The project initially was set up for two years. The 21 disability officers, or SIDOs as we call them, were brought on board to run a programme for two years. The programme was funded from dormant accounts funds and the project will be completed by the end of the year. There have been some internal moves made by the Irish Sports Council, the local sports partnerships and the CARA centre to try to find other funding streams to ensure the 21 people concerned are retained in the system. We had a meeting with the Minister of State, Deputy Moloney, who attended the Paralympic Games in Beijing and is taking up the baton for us in this regard. While I do not believe people generally are aware of that programme, were we to cut 21 people from the system, only four development officers would be left to cater for disability sport, not just paralympic sport, nationwide, which would be a catastrophic blow given all the improvements made in recent years.
Where are the 21 officers?
Mr. Liam Harbison
The 21 officers have been appointed to local sports partnerships nationwide. While there is not one in each county, 21 posts were established.
This has been a fantastic meeting. According to the presentation, this is the first time the council has appeared before an Oireachtas committee and the meeting demonstrates the equality within high-performance sports in Ireland. As Chairman, I share that view. As our guests heard from the earlier exchange and the contributions made by members, including myself, there is a considerable interest in sport in general and we are fortunate. The coming weekend will see golf, gaelic football and hurling matches in which we all have an interest. There is significant goodwill for sport, but particularly for the Paralympic Council of Ireland, PCI, and its achievements.
As members stated, there have been acrimonious meetings with all sorts of organisation in recent times. From listening to this discussion and reading other reports, our guests have attended with a strong, constructive message on its future and priorities, which we will convey to the Minister. All of this feeds into a meeting that we will have with the Minister later this year at which we will combine submissions from the Irish Sports Council, with which the PCI has a good relationship, the Olympic Council of Ireland and others. This meeting has fed into our overview of what is occurring within the Department. We will have a good discussion with the Minister. Our guests are welcome to return at the appropriate time.
I thank our guests and members, if they will allow me, for their warm comments regarding my election as Chairman. I look forward to this work, as the sport, arts, culture, rural development and tourism areas are fantastic and we have a wide remit. I thank our guests for attending and we will convey their opinions to the Minister.