Local athletes ready to represent Ireland at Transplant Games
LOCAL athletes Sheila Gregan and Orla Hogan are preparing to represent Ireland at the 10th European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships in Cagliari, Sardinia, from June 17th-24th.
Peter Canavan, one of the most decorated Gaelic footballers of all time, shared the wisdom of his sporting career in his motivational talk to members of the inspirational Transplant Team Ireland ahead of their departure next month. Members of the 24-strong team recently travelled from the length and breadth of Ireland to meet the retired Tyrone intercounty footballer, manager and pundit at ALSAA sports complex, Dublin Airport.
Canavan, who has won two Senior All-Ireland Football medals for Tyrone and has been awarded six All Stars, as well as numerous other sporting accolades, expressed his admiration for Transplant Team Ireland. He said: “You are an inspiration to us all. Many of you are now fighting fit having faced huge health battles, which many of you have overcome thanks to organ donation, while three of you, are still battling through organ failure and like the rest of the team imbue great personal inner strength and positivity by keeping active and engaging in competitive sport.
“I now encourage you to harness your positivity in your final preparations for competition and aim to be the best that you can be in your chosen sports. Be confident in your abilities when competing at the European Championships and show how much can be achieved by embracing life through sport.”
Over 25 countries and 470 participants are expected to participate in the Championships in June. The current panel of Transplant Team Ireland comprises 24 athletes, 10 women and 14 men, ranging in age from 31 to 80, and includes five liver transplant recipients, 16 kidney transplant recipients and three dialysis patients.
The Irish Team has enjoyed great success at other European Championships over the past number of years. At the previous European Championships, which were held in Vantaa, Finland, in 2016, the Irish team's final medal tally was a staggering 21 Gold, 19 Silver and 29 Bronze. This placed Ireland’s 28-strong team in fifth position on the medals table with host country Finland, and a much larger team of 96 athletes, taking top position out of 24 competing countries.
The European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships are a celebration of life and showcase the value of sport and regular physical activity for people on dialysis and transplant recipients. The Games are open to all kidney, liver, heart, lung, pancreas, bone marrow transplant recipients as well as dialysis patients. The multi-sport event includes athletics, badminton, cycling, darts, golf, mini marathon, petanque, swimming, table tennis, tennis, ten pin bowling, virtual triathlon and the hosts have also added archery and surf-casting