Michael Colreavy (Sligo-North Leitrim, Sinn Fein)
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I welcome our guests and thank them for attending. Everyone, particularly politicians, asks whether he or she is making a difference. In terms of sport, I will give an example. I attended a busy and popular county agricultural show. It was during one of last summer's bad days, but 60,000 or 70,000 people were in attendance. There was a boxing match in the afternoon and a few large screens were located about the place. We did not need an announcement over the PA system. Just before the match was about to start, silence descended. It was uncanny. This is the difference that good athletes and good sporting bodies can make to the mood of a nation and the individuals within. I hope that all of our athletes, including our Paralympic athletes, understand the difference they can make and the pride they can give a nation during hard times.

In terms of governance, we are fortunate in that in Senator Eamonn Coghlan - the delegates will forgive the pun - we have an inside track. Legislators are busy people in terms of the number of things with which they must deal. It is vitally important we are constantly reminded of the importance of sports and that we do what is right by our athletes from school to high performance level.

I have a number of questions for the delegates. We are aware of the choppy waters experienced by the organisations over the past number of years. We are only now beginning to ensure athletes are given the supports they require to perform to the best of their ability, and have a responsibility to do this. Is there scope for better co-operation between the organisations and athletes North and South? The delegates might elaborate on any ongoing work in this regard. Is there any particular country to which we should be looking in terms of management of sporting organisations and athletes? Is there a gold standard nation in this regard? I am speaking in this regard not about investment per athlete, but about structural supports and so on. Is there a gold standard nation to which we should aspire? Are we doing enough to encourage young school going children to set higher targets for themselves and their schools? Is there more we could be doing to energise our young people and get them involved in sports in Ireland?