Séamus Brennan (Dublin South, Fianna Fail)

The previous Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism established a high level London 2012 task force to ensure Ireland can identify and maximise the complete range of opportunities arising from our proximity to the Olympic and Paralympic Games in London 2012. This task force includes experts from the sport, tourism, cultural and business sectors and is supported by staff within my Department.

One of the first pieces of work that the task force carried out was an audit of high quality facilities suitable to attract international athletes to train in the years running up to the London 2012 Games.

The superb national rowing centre in Cork is one of the facilities the audit has examined. Given the paramount training requirements of Irish Olympic and Paralympic athletes and the exacting requirements of Olympic and Paralympic standard facilities, the audit has concluded that there is a limited capacity to host foreign Olympic and Paralympic athletes in training camps in Ireland prior to the London 2012 Olympic Games, although I have asked the Department to look again at this.

In parallel with the audit and to better inform the future work of the task force, my Department appointed Indecon International economic consultants to carry out an economic evaluation of the benefit to the island of Ireland of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. This evaluation is now nearing completion. Overall, the most important economic benefits likely to accrue to Ireland from our proximity to the London Games are in the tourism and business sectors.

In the sporting sector, more significant economic benefits are likely to accrue in attracting Olympic qualification tournaments to Ireland. Our experience to date in attracting major sporting events to Ireland, such as the Special Olympics and the Ryder Cup, has been very positive and the economic impact of such events is far greater than that arising from a small number of elite athletes training for limited periods. My Department, in consultation with the Olympic Council of Ireland, the Irish Sports Council and the national governing bodies of sport, is pursuing a number of high profile Olympic qualification events that will benefit the economy and give Irish athletes home advantage in their quest to qualify for the London Olympic Games.

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