National Olympic Academy of Ireland

Factsheet

Country Ireland
Name of AcademyNational Olympic Academy of Ireland
Olympic Federation of Ireland
Emailadmin@olympicsport.ie
Websitehttp://www.olympicsport.ie
Name of PresidentMrs Sarah KEANE
Contact PersonPeter SHERRARD
Foundation dateN/A
Year of accession to EOA2023
Social media linksN/A

Meet the Academy

Interview with Peter Sherrard, Chief Executive Officer of the Olympic Federation of Ireland

  • We would like to know more about your organisation. Can you outline the structure and functioning of your NOA/NOC, (the relationship with your NOC, if it is an independent organisation) and give us a brief history?

The Olympic Federation of Ireland is the National Olympic Committee of Ireland and works to improve the Olympic performance of Irish athletes in each cycle and inspire the nation through the success of our Olympic Athletes. We do this under the five strategic pillars of the 2018-2024 strategic plan:

  1. Putting Athletes First;
  2. Enabling Performance;
  3. Inspiring Ireland;
  4. Financing for Growth and Purpose; and
  5. Operating to the highest standards

The Irish Olympic Council as it was known at the outset, came to existence in 1922. Ireland competed at its first Olympic Games in Paris 1924.

  • We are delighted that you are part of the EOA family now. Can you, as our main contact person of the organisation, briefly introduce yourself so that everyone gets to know you?

I have been Chief Executive of the Olympic Federation of Ireland since 2018. Previously I have worked at Director level in a number of sectors including international commerce, tourism, aviation and sport, in Ireland, Italy and France in roles covering commercial/ marketing, sales, communications, operations and sponsorship with the Irish Food Export Board, Tourism Ireland, Ryanair and the Football Association of Ireland. I speak French and Italian and am a member of the Sport Ireland High Performance Committee.

  • Has there been any projects related to promoting the Olympic idea/values/heritage that have been carried out in your country?

There have been a lot of projects. One of the main ones that we launched in 2019 relates to teaching Olympic Values in schools. The project is called “Dare to Believe” and involves 50 Olympic ambassadors who do school visits and speak about their experiences. This is supported by a detailed 5 ring curriculum on Olympic values that we have developed with teachers. It is generally completed in the two weeks in advance of each Olympian visit and there are two versions, one for primary school children and one for secondary school children.

  • Does your organisation have any new educational projects planned for the coming years, also with regard to the 2024 Paris Games?

Yes, also under the Dare to Believe programme, we have Olympic movement breaks being run in conjunction with the Department of Education and online resources from a wide variety of Irish athletes. 120,000 children have signed up for this programme since its launch in November this year.

Next April we will launch our Road to Paris online initiative through the Dare to Believe programme and we expect to engage with more than 200,000 schoolchildren nationally.

In 2024, we will be celebrating our first participation in the Olympic Games exactly one hundred years ago. This will be done through a centenary parade float at the St Patrick’s Day Parade in Dublin, a ‘Best of Us’ historical social media campaign, an outdoor historical exhibition at the Irish Cultural Centre in Paris, and an Olympians re-united event in November to bring together and celebrate Irish Olympians from all eras.

  • What do you hope to derive from joining the EOA? Do you have expectations and wishes?

We are delighted to become members of the EOA and look forward to playing an active part.

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