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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