Sir, – Team Ireland at the Olympics has lit the torch of participation and continued improvement for sportspeople nationwide. RTÉ, to their credit, provided excellent coverage and commentary of their endeavours.
But as many of our athletes (and commentators) referenced, the Olympics, albeit the pinnacle, is just one of the many competitions our athletes compete in throughout the season. Others include the National championships, European championships, World championships, the Diamond League, and the myriad of meets held in between these prestigious events.
If we want to fan the flames of interest and participation in athletics that our 2024 Olympians have ignited, then our national broadcaster should provide greater coverage of these other events.
Likewise the Government should ensure that every county in Ireland has at least one fully equipped and funded community athletics facility. Track and field athletics incorporates over 20 individual disciplines, and caters for a much wider range of body types, mentalities, skill-sets and ages than our leading national sports, which are already heavily funded by government. In Paris we have seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of what athletics has to offer, and how great our potential is.
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While competing in the Olympics may be but an aspiration for the vast majority of athletes, having sports facilities that could cater for the greater population – in all its shapes and sizes – could only promote a positive lifestyle from a young age. Supported by a solid PE programme in our primary schools, it could foster an interest, indeed a passion, that would provide a pathway for a healthy body and mind, and an alternative to the many destructive distractions that exist in today’s world.
We want to see our young people engage in sport, so let’s provide them with facilities and coaching that allow a wide spectrum of our young people to participate. We put multiple millions of euro into our National Children’s Hospital, now let us endeavour to keep it as empty as possible by building a healthier, happier nation.
Yours etc,
HUGH McDONNELL,
The Rise,
Glasnevin ,
Dublin 9