Paralympics Ireland

| 7 Paralympics Ireland Annual Report | 2019 We will work closely with Sport Ireland in the coming years to advocate for disability sport in Ireland and to ensure the role of Paralympics Ireland is considered for future decisions on high performance funding. IPC (International Paralympic Committee) While we are sad to see Xavier Gonzalez step down after 15 years as IPC CEO, 2019 saw the appointment of two time Paralympian, Dr. Mike Peters as the CEO of the IPC in October. I have no doubt that Dr. Peters will prove to be a hugely successful appointment and that he can lead the Paralympic movement to new and greater heights. This is obviously a very difficult time for Paralympic Sport and for all sport globally as uncertainty remains about the Covid 19 virus and when sport can return to normal but I am sure that Mike and his team will successfully plot the way back to regular competition. I would like to assure Mike that Paralympics Ireland stands ready to support the IPC with through the coming months and years. In October our own Trevor O'Rourke and Derek Kinnevey presented at the IPC Marketing Conference to all of the global partners of Paralympic sport along with the NPC's. This was a valuable opportunity to demonstrate the leadership potential for Paralympics Ireland and it will hopefully the first of many such opportunities. EPC (European Paralympic Committee) 2019 was a busy year within the EPC as it hosted its Conference and General Assembly in Israel in May. As a member of the EPC board I was involved in organising the Conference Day and following up thereafter to lead a Sub Committee of members to propose a new Vision and Mission for the EPC. The European Youth Para Games held in June in Lahti, Finland was the fifth and largest edition of the Games to date with over 600 participants from 27 countries taking part. The Games were deemed the best to date by EPC President Ratko Kovacic. Athlete update Orla Barry announced her retirement from Paralympic sport in 2019. The Cork based Discus thrower represented Ireland at three different Paralympic Games winning 2 Paralympic medals and retired as the European Champion. Ailbhe Kelly represented Ireland at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio. She was part of the team that represented Ireland at the European Championships that were hosted at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre in Dublin in 2018. She also made history at the World Para Swimming Championships in London in 2019 as she was part of the first ever Irish Para Swimming Relay team before announcing her retirement in September. Other Achievements It is important when Irish Para Athletes are recognised for their achievements in their sports. The RTE Awards are always a good occasion and Para-Athletes featured well in the Richael Timothy

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