Lynn Ruane (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I send my congratulations and well wishes to the Irish Homeless Street Leagues teams who are playing in the Homeless World Cup in Seoul, South Korea. As athletes, they do not get enough attention when they go off around the world each year to play in the Homeless World Cup. The team changes every year and includes people experiencing homelessness, addiction, social isolation and many different issues. Their starting point in athletics is being able to engage in the sport but there is a complex set of needs wrapped around that with regard to their recovery and future. Every year when I watch the teams go off, I feel we are not paying them enough attention. I would love if the sports stations and sections and the 6 o'clock news reported on how the Irish team was getting on abroad in the world cup. The men have had five wins in five games and are top of their group. They will now go into the next stage. The women have won three out of seven games and we will know later if they will go into the next stage. It is a huge achievement for people in a very competitive sport. A huge amount of work goes into it.

I acknowledge and thank the Irish ambassador to South Korea. We had a number of conversations with her earlier in the year and she has organised a welcome event in the embassy, which has been great and has supported the teams over there. We should show a little more interest and give a little more recognition and credit to the team. Perhaps there is something the Seanad can do. Could we issue some sort of official invitation to the teams when they return to Ireland, be that a lunch or another event, to recognise that these team members will now have a cap for Ireland? It is really amazing. They should be very proud and should know how much that is valued by us and their families and communities as they act as role models going forward.