Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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249. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which his Department continues to make efforts to attract major sporting events here with particular reference to world or international events, thereby creating extra economic opportunities and in the course thereof providing useful promotion of Ireland's image on the international stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [30494/17]

Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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The hosting of major sports events, both participative and spectator sports, can provide great opportunities to showcase Ireland and drive international visitor numbers.  In addition, the media coverage of sports events helps to put Ireland onto travel itineraries as a holiday destination.

Accordingly, I am very supportive of the ongoing efforts of the tourism agencies and the national governing bodies of sport to attract international events, subject, of course, to an assessment of the costs/benefits involved in any State financial support, in particular the number of overseas visitors.

For example, the Government assisted the IRFU in its successful bid to host the Women's Rugby World Cup which will take place in August 2017.  The Government also supported the FAI in its successful bid to host four games as part of the UEFA Euro 2020 football championship and the Government and the Northern Ireland Executive are supporting the IRFU in its bid to host the Rugby World Cup in 2023.  Ireland has successfully passed the Applicant and Candidate Phases of that process and is now through to the Evaluation Phase, following the IRFU's lodgement of the Irish bid on 1st June 2017.  A final decision will be made by World Rugby on 15 November 2017.

A number of other world or international events are due to take place in Ireland in 2017 with the support of Government.  They include the International Taekwon-Do World Championships, the Japan Karate Association World Championships, the European Senior Bowling Championships, the World Youth Coarse Fishing Championships, the FIBA Under-18 Women's European Basketball Championships and the International Karate Union World Championships.