We have an interesting opportunity for athletes to be mentored by trained and experienced Olympians, an initiative from our Athletes’ Commission. Over the past few months, Olympians have been getting training and experience on how to be effective mentors, with the aim of being mentors to the next generation of Team Ireland athletes. Their role is not to coach or guide young athletes, but to listen to them and help them navigate what can be a daunting experience as they approach what will be their first games.
What we are asking from you is that you share the attached application poster with your athletes, specifically with athletes who are targeting the Olympics in Paris 2024 or LA 2028 and who have not already competed in a Games. If you have any athletes in mind that you think could particularly benefit from a mentor, we encourage you to urge them to apply.
The next step in the process for us is to match the mentees with suitable mentors (often from outside their own sport), which we will be doing with the assistance of Kate Kirby and Eoin Rheinisch in the Sport Ireland Institute. This is an exciting project from the Athletes’ Commission, and the mentors who have completed the training are really looking forward to passing on their experiences and learnings to younger athletes.
If you have any questions regarding the programme, please don’t hesitate to contact the Athletes’ Commission members who have been driving the programme – Annalise Murphy (2012, 2016, 2020 Olympian, Sailing) Claire Lambe (2016 Olympian, Rowing), David Harte (2016 Olympian, Hockey).
