Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 19 November 2020
157. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the engagements her Department has had with an association (details supplied) as it relates to the preparation and exemptions that may be required by the Irish women's hockey team to prepare for the Tokyo Olympics; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [37690/20]
View answerThere has been, and will continue to be, a regular, ongoing engagement with the sports sector as a whole, including with the body referred to by the Deputy. Senior players on the Irish women's hockey team are already included within the scope of the limited exemption available in the current public health regulations for professional and elite sport.
In addition to direct engagement with Sport Ireland, the statutory agency for the development of sport in Ireland, sporting organisations including the body referred to by the Deputy, have also contributed to regular meetings of the Sports Monitoring Group, which is chaired at Ministerial level. Moreover, the Expert Group on Return to Sport, which is chaired by my Department, has reviewed and provided, via Sport Ireland, feedback to the body referred to by the Deputy on its return to sport protocols. Guidance has also been produced by this Expert Group on international travel, which has supported and assisted individual athletes and teams to qualify and prepare for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games.
My Department and Sport Ireland will continue to work closely and constructively with the sport sector to ensure the most effective preparation possible by all members of Team Ireland, including the Irish women's hockey team, for the Tokyo Games.
