The Irish Sports Council (ISC) acknowledges that many people throughout the country participate in chess and bridge. However, the Council does not recognise these activities as they do not come within the definition of sport in the Irish Sports Council Act, 1999, under which the Council was established on a statutory basis.
Under the Act, competitive sport is defined as "all forms of physical activity which, through organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and at obtaining improved results in competition at all levels" and recreational sport is defined as "all forms of physical activity which, through casual or regular participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being and at forming social relationships".