Fintan Warfield (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

The Senator is well over time. I suggest we have the second round of questions now and I will start by asking my questions.

Sport Ireland conducts research. My question will build on the questions about participation by members of the LGBT community that were asked by Senator Byrne. We know that queer women are more likely to take part in team sports and that queer men are more likely to play individual games. As Sporting Pride has mentioned, we rely very heavily on international research on this area. Do our guests agree that there is potential or scope for research to be conducted, in an Irish context, on participation in sport by members of the LGBT community?

Sporting Pride and some LGBT-inclusive clubs across the various sports have called for the provision of a specific stream of funding to encourage participation in sports by members of the LGBT community, which is similar to the age and opportunity fund and the people with disability fund. Has the provision of such funding been considered by Sport Ireland? Is there scope to provide funding for the participation in sports by members of the LGBT community?

There are two major LGBT sports tournaments around the world, in which I have partaken, and they are the Gay Games and EuroGames. It would be incredible to bring either of those tournaments to Ireland. How would that conversation start? Perhaps the Department can comment. I am certain that the tourism and sport sides of the Department would be interested in such an initiative and I suppose my question is linked to funding. Sporting Pride is an umbrella group for LGBT sports clubs. It is a voluntary organisation, so funding could be helpful. Perhaps one of the witnesses from the Department or Sport Ireland might wish to comment.