Mr. Ciaran Kirwan:

The reason for that was there were a number of members on the board who wanted to give him a six-month contract, which would have been, in effect, an absolute vote of no confidence in him prior to the Olympic games. It would have had a devastating effect on the morale of that unit. I insisted he was given a longer term. I wanted him to be given a term up to the Paris Olympic Games in 2024. That was what I pursued and what the high performance director wanted. Sport Ireland was incredibly supportive of me in that stance. Ultimately, as in many things, a compromise had to be reached. I managed to get the board to pass this compromise, despite resistance.