Captivating the Nation

IN ALL FAIRNESS

The sports that tend to dominate the sporting consciousness in this county tend to be of the team variety, primarily hurling/camogie, Gaelic/Ladies football, soccer, and rugby, the so-called ‘Big 4’.

The soccer fraternity might decry their lack of facilities but they can rightly claim to have the most participation on a weekly basis in all ages. However, is this truly correct? Membership numbers in clubs right around the country suggest such but are they actually dwarfed by both athletics and swimming. The number of active clubs and membership numbers suggest not but that doesn’t include the tens of thousands of people who don’t compete competitively and just go for a run or a swim on a regular basis.

It’s the only reason I can come up with why for 51 weeks of the year, athletics and swimming rarely makes a dent in the public consciousness but come a major championship, we become engrossed for a seven-day period as was the case again last week.

Whether it is a European/World Championships or an Olympic Games, there is something gratifying about watching men and women don the green singlet to represent their country, and after a barren generation since the heady days of the likes of Eamon Coghlan and Sonia O’Sullivan, we are living through great times once again.

Penny for the thoughts of our own Sharlene Mawdsley after seeing four of her Ireland colleagues medal at the European Championships in Birmingham last week. In the form of her career, cruel luck in terms of injury at the National Championships last month in the same race which saw Rhasidat Adeleke win the 200m to qualify at a time when her form was nowhere, and yet three weeks later she ended up winning a silver medal in what isn’t her favoured distance.

If Sharlene’s form has held, she would have been in with a fair shout of a medal in the individual 400-metres, plus we also know what she can do in terms of her anchor running in the relay as the Irish teams failed to make the finals.

I’d like to think her presence in Birmingham as a spectator and seeing her teammates, also including Kate O’Connor, Mark English, and Andrew Coscoran medalling, re-enforce her belief and hunger that she is on the right track with a big two years ahead, starting with the World Championships in China in 2027, followed in 2028 by the next European Championships in Poland, before all eyes focus on Los Angeles and the Olympic Games later that summer.

When it comes to L.A., one thing Ireland can bank on is a strong support with the large diaspora on the West coast of the United States, and such were the numbers that made the relatively short hop across the Irish Sea last week only goes to show the passion there is for athletics in this country, and even for the likes of myself who has no running background, seeing individuals driven to perform to the best of their ability, primarily for themselves, but also their country is truly inspiring.

The same goes for our swimmers who were equally impressive in Paris at their European Championships and credit goes to the governing bodies of athletics, swimming and indeed gymnastics who showed the foresight to come together every two years with their European Championships, albeit in different locations, but with the help of television coverage, makes it feel like a mini-Olympics two years out from the real thing which can only be good for the competitors themselves.

The improved supports for our elite athletes through government funded Sport Ireland programs is paying off, not just in terms of medals and more athletes reaching finals, it is the feelgood factor they generate throughout the country, not just in terms of their respective sports, but also promoting a healthy lifestyle which in turn will take the pressure off our health services long term which can only be a good thing.