Written answers

Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism

Departmental Funding

10:00 am

Photo of Joan BurtonJoan Burton (Dublin West, Labour)
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Question 410: To ask the Minister for Tourism, Culture and Sport the steps she has taken to ensure that Ireland is well placed to serve as a host nation for sports teams ahead of the 2012 London Olympics; if investment in the national sports campus is being considered in this context; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [29989/10]

Photo of Mary HanafinMary Hanafin (Dún Laoghaire, Fianna Fail)
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A high-level coordinating group, chaired by my Department, is looking at the opportunities that may arise for Ireland, across the sports, tourism and cultural sectors, from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The group comprises representatives from Fáilte Ireland, Tourism Ireland, the Arts Council, Culture Ireland, the Irish Sports Council, the Olympic Council of Ireland, Paralympic Council of Ireland and the Department of Foreign Affairs.

One of the issues that the group is looking at is Ireland's potential to attract international teams and athletes for training camps in the lead up to London 2012. My Department has funded the development of a number of top quality facilities around the country designed to meeting the training needs of elite competitors in a variety of sports. Among the projects which have been supported are the National Aquatic Centre, the National Rowing Centre at Inniscarra, sports facilities at the University of Limerick and University College Dublin (UCD) and Morton Stadium.

A number of these sports facilities have produced brochures to market their facilities as pre-London training camps. The National Sports Campus Development Authority (NSCDA) is actively promoting the National Aquatic Centre as a training venue for Olympic and Paralympic teams in the lead up to the London Games. I also attended the launch of UCD as a London 2012 pre-training camp venue in April.

My Department is producing a CD which will contain the details of a number of Irish elite sports facilities which are suitable as pre-London training camps. This CD will be promoted through the network of National Olympic/Paralympic Committees and the Irish Embassies abroad in the coming months. The high-level coordination group will continue to meet on an ongoing basis over the next two years to maximise opportunities from the London 2012 Games.

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