Student Sport Ireland wishes Team Ireland the very best of luck over the next couple of weeks, as they participate in the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games. The Games will run from August 28th to September 8th and will yet again showcase Irish college students wearing the green jersey.
This year, there are 3 current students and 13 graduates who are members of Team Ireland, which shows the huge importance of the investment into sport across the third-level education sector. Along with athletes taking part, there are support staff and coaches who are also working with the team.
In 2022, Student Sport Ireland conducted a Self-Assessment Activity Report to measure the role of sport and physical activity across its member institutions. This research showed that third-level institutions are central to the development pathway of elite athletes, providing supports including scholarship programs, academic supports and the provision of state-of-the-art facilities.
Third-level institutes annually invest an average of over €11 million in the provision of sports and physical activity, with all third-level institutes now having dedicated staff structures to support the provision of sport and physical activity.
From 2015-2019, over 8,000 scholarships/bursaries were offered to elite athletes across the island of Ireland, adding up to an average investment of €565,000 per institution. There was an average capital investment of €6.25 million per institution over this period, and the average investment in sport and physical activity provision was €2.73 million per institution, €221.40 per student, across the four years.
Goodluck Team Ireland, you are doing us all proud!
Current Students in Team Ireland – Shauna Bouquet (Atlantic Technological University) – Athletics T54 100m 1500m & 5000m, Nicole Turner (Technological University Dublin) – Swimming S6 50m Free & Fly, Róisín Ní Riain (University of Limerick) – Swimming S13 100m Butterfly, S13 100m Backstroke, SM13 200m IM & SM13 200m Breaststroke.
Recent Graduates in Team Ireland – Rachael Timothy (Atlantic Technological University) – Cycling C3 3000m Track Individual Pursuit & 500m Time Trial & Road Individual Time Trial & Road Race, Greta Streimikyte (Dublin City University) – Athletics T13 1500m, Katie Herr-Horan (Maynooth University) – Equestrian Grade III Individual & Para Grand Prix Freestyle Test, Kerrie Leonard (Maynooth University & University College Dublin Smurfit) – Archery W2 Individual Compound Open, Orla Comerford (National College of Art and Design) – Athletics T13 100m, Ellen Keane (Technological University Dublin) – Swimming SB8 100m Breaststroke & S9 100m Backstroke, Chloe MacCombe (Ulster University) – Triathlon PTVI Final, Judith MacCombe (Ulster University) – Triathlon PTVI Final, Mary Fitzgerald (University College Cork Quercus Scholarship) – Athletics F40 Shot Put Final, Katie O’Brien (University College Dublin) – Rowing PR2 Mixed Double Sculls, Martin Gordon (University College Dublin) – Cycling Track B1 Men’s 4000m Individual Pursuit & Road B1 1000m Time Trial, Colin Judge (University College Dublin Ad Astra Scholarship) – Table Tennis TT3 Class 3, Tiarnán O’Donnell (University of Limerick) – Rowing PR2 Mixed Double Sculls.
Team Ireland Support Staff – James Nolan (University College Dublin graduate) – Head of Paralympic Athletics in Ireland.
Team Great Britain – David Ross (Ulster University graduate) – Wheelchair Rugby 2.0, Sinead Chambers (Ulster University graduate) – Physiotherapist.
