Olympic Leadership Group
Olympic Leadership Group
The Olympic Leadership Group brings together senior leaders from the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Sport Ireland, the Sport Ireland Institute and Sport Northern Ireland.
The group provides strategic oversight of Team Ireland’s performance-support partnership and helps align planning across the Olympic system. It agrees annual priorities, monitors preparations for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and Istanbul 2027 European Games, and supports the delivery of sports science, medicine, psychology, athlete services and Games-time performance support.
Working closely with the OFI Science and Medicine Commission and the performance-support taskforce established for each Games, the group helps ensure continuity of leadership and care, clear accountability and effective use of resources. It also receives progress reports, considers performance-support appointments and makes recommendations to the OFI Executive Board and Sport Ireland High Performance Committee.
Athlete insight is central to this work. OFI Athletes’ Commission members Aifric Keogh and Billy Dardis are briefed and consulted during key planning and decision-making, ensuring the athlete voice helps shape Team Ireland’s preparations and performance environment.
Core Remit:
- Agree annual priorities and monitor delivery across the partnership.
- Review preparations and performance-support plans for LA28 and Istanbul 2027.
- Support continuity of care, shared accountability and effective resourcing.
- Bring athlete perspectives into key planning and decision-making.
Olympic Leadership Group Members
Peter Sherrard
CEO
Olympic Federation of Ireland
Gavin Noble OLY
Performance & Marketing Director, Chef De Mission LA28
Olympic Federation of Ireland
Liam Harbison
Director
Sport Ireland Institute
Nancy Chillingworth
High Performance Manager
Olympic Federation of Ireland
Niamh O’Sullivan
Director of High Performance
Sport Ireland
Phil Moore
Director of Performance Support Sport Ireland Institute
Richard Archibald OLY
Interim CEO
Sport Northern Ireland
Sarah Jane McDonnell
Head of Rehabilitation
Sport Ireland Institute
Athlete Consulation
The athlete voice is an important part of the Olympic Leadership Group’s work. Aifric Keogh and Billy Dardis contribute through their roles on the OFI Athletes’ Commission and are briefed and consulted during key stages of planning and decision-making.
Their involvement helps ensure that Team Ireland’s plans are informed by direct athlete experience and remain focused on the needs of athletes before, during and after the Games.
Aifric Keogh OLY
Chair
Athletes’ Commission
Billy Dardis OLY
Vice-Chair
Athletes’ Commission
Peter Sherrard
CEO
Olympic Federation of Ireland
Peter Sherrard has been Chief Executive Officer of the Olympic Federation of Ireland since 2018. He chairs the Olympic Leadership Group, which provides strategic oversight of the performance-support partnership and Team Ireland’s preparations for major Games.
He also represents the OFI on the Sport Ireland High Performance Committee.
Gavin Noble OLY
Chef de Mission, Team Ireland, Los Angeles 2028
Performance and Marketing Director, Olympic Federation of Ireland
email: gavin@olympicsport.ie
Gavin Noble is Team Ireland’s Performance and Marketing Director and Chef de Mission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
He leads the OFI’s planning for Summer Olympic and European Games, working with athletes, sports and a wide stakeholder group to align performance strategy, Games readiness, operational delivery and the athlete environment. His role also connects athlete marketing with performance planning, helping to ensure that commercial and profile-building opportunities support athletes throughout the Olympic cycle.
He served as Chef de Mission for Paris 2024 and Deputy Chef de Mission for Tokyo 2020.
Liam Harbison
Director, Sport Ireland Institute
Liam Harbison is Director of the Sport Ireland Institute, leading its strategic development and delivery of specialist performance support for Ireland’s leading athletes and coaches. Under the Institute’s Statement of Intent 2024–2032, its priorities include performance services and support, athlete pathways, partnerships, performance insights and the continued development of the Institute on the Sport Ireland Campus.
His work is focused on strengthening the Institute’s role as a key partner to athletes, coaches and National Governing Bodies as they pursue success at the Los Angeles 2028 and Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games. He has worked across number of roles for Team Ireland at Olympic & Paralympic Games since Sydney 2000, including Chef de Mission for the London 2012 Paralympic Games and Deputy Chef de Mission for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games
Nancy Chillingworth
High Performance Manager
Olympic Federation of Ireland
Nancy Chillingworth is High Performance Manager with the Olympic Federation of Ireland and a key member of Team Ireland’s Games leadership team. She sits on the OFI Science and Medicine Commission, plays a central role in supporting Ireland’s Olympic Solidarity scholarship athletes, and works across the Olympic cycle to support Games readiness and an athlete-focused performance environment.
Nancy is Deputy Chef de Mission for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, having held the same role for Paris 2024, and has served as Chef de Mission for Team Ireland at the Beijing 2022 and Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Niamh O’Sullivan
Director of High Performance, Sport Ireland
Niamh O’Sullivan is Director of High Performance at Sport Ireland, leading the development and delivery of Sport Ireland’s High Performance Strategy 2021-2032. Since joining Sport Ireland in 2016, she has played a central role in supporting Ireland’s elite athletes and National Governing Bodies primarily through the provision of investment, policy development, and relationship management.
Phil Moore
Director of Performance Support, Sport Ireland Institute
Phil Moore is Director of Performance Support at the Sport Ireland Institute, leading the delivery of integrated science, medicine and athlete-support services. He previously worked with Great Britain Hockey as psychologist and team leader for science and medicine and has supported athletes across multiple Olympic cycles. He served as Team Ireland Deputy Chef de Mission with responsibility for performance support at both Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024.
Richard Archibald OLY
Interim CEO Sport Northern Ireland
Richard Archibald is Interim Chief Executive of Sport Northern Ireland and has held senior roles across performance programmes, sports systems and sports development within the organisation.
A double Olympian in rowing, he represented Ireland at the Athens 2004 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and won World Championship medals in the lightweight men’s four. He brings both athlete and sports-system leadership perspectives to the group.
Sarah Jane McDonnell
Head of Rehabilitation, Sport Ireland Institute
Sarah Jane McDonnell is Head of Performance Support for Team Ireland for Los Angeles 2028. She is a senior sports‑performance and athlete‑support leader, she brings extensive Games experience across multiple Olympic cycles, having delivered in performance‑support and physiotherapy roles at Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024 Olympics.
In her LA28 role, Sarah Jane leads on the design and delivery of integrated performance‑support for Team Ireland to ensure seamless, athlete‑centred support throughout the Games cycle.
She previously served as Team Ireland’s Lead Physiotherapist for Tokyo 2020 and Paris 2024, and as Head of Rehabilitation at the Sport Ireland Institute since 2012, where she has worked closely with high‑performance rowing, swimming and other Olympic sports. where she has worked closely with high‑performance rowing, swimming and other Olympic sports.
Aifric Keogh OLY
Chair Athletes Commission
Aifric Keogh is a two time Olympian and Olympic bronze medalist in Rowing from Tokyo 2020. She was elected to the position of Chair of the Athletes’ Commission by her fellow members in 2025 and sits on the Executive Committee of the Olympic Federation of Ireland in that capacity.
View Aifric’s Athlete Profile
Billy Dardis OLY
Vice-Chair Athletes Commission
As captain of the Ireland rugby sevens team, Billy Dardis led the squad to their historic first Olympic appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Games. Dardis contributed 12 points through six successful conversions, showcasing his pivotal role in the team’s performance.
Beyond the Olympics, his tenure as captain saw Ireland achieve significant milestones, including a bronze medal at the 2022 Rugby World Cup Sevens and a gold medal at the 2023 European Games.
