It took a degree of political nerve for the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, John O'Donoghue, to start marketing Ireland's training facilities to overseas teams ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London, given that many of our own Olympic hopefuls must still go overseas to find the right facilities. That's not to say the Government task- force announced by Mr O'Donoghue this week charged with maximising the opportunities arising from Ireland's proximity to London is a bad idea.
London 2012, as the Minister rightly stated, represents an opportunity for Ireland as the country next door, and that work needs to begin now if the benefits are to be realised. He highlighted some of the opportunities: the opening up of new markets for tourism; the involvement of Irish business in the construction and supply of services before and during the games; the potential boost and lasting legacy for sport in Ireland.
A good idea on all counts. The only danger is that it also sounds like the Government could be getting a little side-tracked. There's no harm in cashing in on Ireland's proximity to London. But is that really what we should be aiming for in six years' time? Sport, as we know, has the ability to lift the mood of the nation. Derval O'Rourke and her 100 metre hurdle silver medal at Gothenburg is the latest achiever to prove that.
Yet O'Rourke also reminded us that compared to most of the countries she competes against, Ireland is still way off the pace when it comes to facilities, coaching and other expertise. We still don't have a proper indoor running facility (Sweden has 26). Some of our most promising athletes, such as Joanne Cuddihy and Deirdre Ryan, still lack adequate financial support because the system doesn't allow it.
Mr O'Donoghue talked about the Campus Ireland facility in Abbotstown, due for completion in 2012, and the new Irish Institute of Sport, approved last month, as the kind of things that may tempt overseas teams to Ireland ahead of London 2012. We should be fast-tracking these projects to ensure that Ireland's athletes can maximise their opportunities in six years' time. It is clearly too late to make a difference for Beijing in two years time because nothing has changed significantly since Athens 2004.
Anything that stimulates the provision of sporting facilities, such as the Olympics being staged next door, is to be welcomed. But this is mere opportunism. We should be providing the best facilities possible to help our athletes compete to the highest levels nationally and internationally, irrespective of where the Olympics are held.