Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport & Media publishes its Report on Inclusion in Sport

Speaking on the release of the Report Committee Cathaoirleach Deputy Niamh Smyth TD said “Our Committee identified inclusion in sport as an important topic for examination. We are concerned that certain societal groups experience lower participation rates than others and consider it important to identify and address barriers to participation in sports policy in Ireland.”

The Cathaoirleach added “The themes included in this Report highlight the importance of broad based funding and accountability for use of funds, co-design of programmes and policies affecting marginalised communities. It focuses on the importance of accessible and fit for purpose facilities with appropriate transport links, appropriate procedures for dealing with discriminatory conduct, messaging and visibility measures, hosting of major tournaments. The Report also highlights the need to support the growth of LGBTQIA+ orientated sports clubs, the need for guidance on transgender and non-binary inclusion in sport, and the importance of support, training and education for club leaders, volunteers, coaches and P.E. teachers, and others working in sport.”

Read the full Report 

Some of the Key Recommendations contained in the Report are:

Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media policy regarding inclusion in sport should be underpinned by adequate funding on a broad basis, with particular regard to the support needs of smaller volunteer-led national governing bodies and with regard to the furthest behind first principle. Public funding to sporting organisations should take account of public sector duty legislation and rights-based and outcomes-driven approaches to sport provision.

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media should invest in robust research and outcome oriented disaggregated data to inform evidence-based policymaking, advocacy, and impact assessment across the multiple policies in Ireland that focus on or use sport, physical activity, health, education, and inclusion of specific groups, including but not limited to women, LGBTQIA+ individuals, disabled individuals, racially and ethnically diverse individuals. This will help orient sports investments as an enabler of sustainable development. Convergence with cross-cutting data developments on SDGs, Well-being Index and Equality should be examined. Policies and programmes affecting those belonging to marginalised communities should be co-designed in consultation with members of those communities and Disabled Persons’ Organisations (DPOs) where possible. While implementation of this co-design principle is relevant to all vectors of inclusion in sport, the Department should have specific regard to the State’s responsibility under Article 30 of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to ensure that disabled people have the opportunity to organise, develop and participate in disability-specific sports.

The Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media’s Major Sports Events Policy should, in its methodology for assessing proposals for state support in the hosting of major sports events, consider the inclusion in sport dividends of such events.

Investment in the development of accessible and fit-for-purpose facilities is an important prerequisite to removal of barriers to inclusion in sport across a range of vectors, and new public-private funding streams to support this development should be explored. Funding for accessible facilities should be holistic in nature in order to avoid the risk of inclusive projects being deferred or cancelled due to a lack of joined-up assessment (eg funding for accessible equipment at a sports facility being granted through one scheme but funding for accessible toilets at the same sports facility being denied through another).

The Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media should engage with cabinet colleagues in order to ensure that accessible facilities are located with accessible transport options. In respect of the fact that training and competition windows often fall outside of standard peak public transport hours, there should be an expanded transport support for participants with additional mobility needs.

Read more about the work done by The Joint Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media  

Committee proceedings can also be viewed on the Houses of the Oireachtas Smartphone App, available for Apple and Android devices.