Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 3 February 2021
246. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the reason the players of an organisation (details supplied) are currently able to book sports facilities for individual training sessions while athletes training for the upcoming Olympics are denied access; and the scientific reason for same. [5758/21]
View answerIn the current Level 5 restrictions, no sports training is permitted, except for individual exercise or exercise with members of your own household, within 5 km of your home. There are a number of exemptions to these restrictions, for professional, elite and high performance sport, as set out in the Resilience and Recovery Plan 2020-21: Plan for Living with COVID-19, published last September.
Sport Ireland, which is funded by my Department, is the statutory body with responsibility for the development of sport, including high performance sport. Athletes supported by the Sport Ireland International Carding Scheme and members of high performance teams funded by Sport Ireland are permitted to continue training during the current restrictions.
Sport Ireland have engaged with National Governing Bodies to ensure that athletes who have qualified or deemed likely to qualify for the Olympic and Paralympic Games have the necessary facilities to train in their specific sports. Many of these athletes are continuing to train at the Sport Ireland Campus in Blanchardstown, which has been available to high performance athletes and teams since last June. Independently-run facilities that provide a training base for high performance athletes are encouraged to remain open for this specific group of individuals, however it is a decision which lies solely with the facility itself. Each sport facility that is managed independently of Sport Ireland may develop their own policy on how they manage access to their facilities, subject to full compliance with the prevailing Government guidelines and public health requirements.
Should an athlete not have the appropriate facility in their area, athletes should engage with their National Governing Body for an optimum alternative solution.
