Thursday, April 13, 2023

Paralympics Ireland and Permanent TSB Launch NextGen


 

Permanent TSB NextGen Athlete Recruitment Campaign Aims to Help Sportspeople with a Disability to Discover their Paralympic Potential

Paralympics Ireland and title Sponsor, Permanent TSB, have today launched the permanent TSB NextGen athlete recruitment campaign which will take place across four venues, in Galway, Cork, Belfast and Dublin to provide those with a disability the opportunity to discover Para sport.

Paralympic Sport is the pinnacle of a sporting career in disability sports. However, for multiple reasons people may not have had the opportunity to try out the Para sports that may be available in their region. 

The campaign aims to introduce athletes to a range of Para sports, help them identify their physical capabilities and to a signpost them to local and regional sporting opportunities.

Speaking about the announcement, Stephen McNamara, CEO of Paralympics Ireland said,

“We are delighted to partner with Permanent TSB to launch the Permanent TSB NextGen Athlete Recruitment Campaign. People with a disability make up nearly 15% of our population and it is vital that they are given the opportunity to participate in sport to their full potential. This campaign aims to direct athletes toward Paralympic Sport and to uncover their latent potential. This may be the start of a journey for athletes, and we are encouraging them to seize the opportunity to come to their most convenient centre to see where this pathway could lead.”

Paralympics Ireland Sport Director and Chef de Mission for Paris 2024 Neasa Russell said,

“The permanent TSB NextGen Athlete Recruitment Campaign is a vital resource in our strategy to create sustainable and successful Para Sport Pathways in Ireland. This campaign will have a great benefit to the athletes that participate, the individual sports and to the wider Paralympic movement in Ireland. We know there are many barriers for people with disabilities to get involved in sport and to reach their potential. With the permanent TSB NextGen campaign, we are working with the National Governing Bodies of Sports to ensure that there are positive development opportunities for people with disabilities who are keen to reach their sporting potential. We will provide the opportunity for their ability to be uncovered and we will use our collective expertise to direct those potential Para Athletes to the sport they have most potential in, hopefully, unearthing the Next Generation of Irish Paralympians.”

Speaking to the announcement, Karen Hackett, Head of People Experience at Permanent TSB said,

“As proud title sponsor of Team Ireland, we are pleased to collaborate with our partners in Paralympics Ireland to deliver the Permanent TSB NextGen Athlete Recruitment Campaign.

Through our own commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, we continually seek to create a more inclusive Permanent TSB. We are honoured to be working alongside Paralympics Ireland to support in creating more inclusive communities through access to and participation in para sport, in the hopes of uncovering new Irish Paralympic heroes who will inspire the next generation.”

Each of the four days will be open to applicants that have pre-registered via www.paralympics.ie. Upon attendance, potential athletes, will then be brought to various stations that feature a range of physical challenges to better understand each individuals’ physical capabilities such as speed, power, and agility. There will also be the opportunity to ‘try out’ different Paralympic sports as well as find out more information on how to get involved in Paralympic sports within their province. Data generated from the challenges will support the athletes’ journey to discover their Paralympic Potential.

The permanent TSB NextGen Athlete Recruitment Campaign marks a new departure for Paralympic sport in Ireland as Paralympics Ireland and the National Governing Bodies for Paralympic eligible sports come together to provide a pathway to sport that could lead all the way to the Paralympic Games. Similar testing events have taken place in the past and have yielded some great results including the discovery of future Paralympians like Permanent TSB NextGen ambassador Jordan Lee and World Champion Rower Katie O’Brien.

For further information visit http://paralympics.ie/nextgen/

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