The Olympic Council of Ireland celebration of the contribution of Irish women to the Olympic Movement in Ireland was held on Wednesday evening 8th March as part of its contribution to International Women’s Day. Following opening remarks by OCI President Sarah Keane, Evanne Ni Chuilinn hosted two panels of athletes and sports administrators.
The Olympic Movement in Ireland has benefited from the involvement of women over the years as athletes and more recently increasingly in, performance to include coaching, sport science and medical as well as administrative and governance roles.
The OCI wanted to celebrate this contribution whilst also explore ways that it might positively contribute to facilitating an increasing number of women in the Olympic movement in Ireland into the future.
The OCI felt an important first step in this regard would be to mark International Women’s Day by holding an event to celebrate that contribution and provide a platform for discussing by hearing form women who have been involved in the Olympic Movement in various roles at different times so as to inform future training and development opportunities.
Panellists
Panel 1: Irish Women at the Olympics
1. Darren O’Neill:
2. Maeve Kyle, Melbourne 1956
3. Caroline O’Shea, LA, 1984
4. Catherina McKiernan: Barcelona 1992 & Atlanta 1996
5. Kirsten McGarry 2006 & 2010 Winter Olympics
Panel 2: Irish Women as Leaders of Sport
1. Sinead Heraty: CEO Irish Ladies Golf Union
2. Mary Dunne: President Swim Ireland
3. Dr. Kate Kirby Head of Performance Psychology Sport Ireland Institute
4. Georgina Drumm: President Athletics Ireland
5. John Treacy: CEO Sport Ireland, 1984 Los Angeles
