Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for Irish Boccia as Paralympics Ireland has agreed to assist in the creation of an independent national governing body for the sport in Ireland over the coming years, following the dissolution of Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland (CPSI) in 2015.
While this project is being managed, Paralympics Ireland has become the recognized governing body for the sport in Ireland in association with the Boccia International Sport Federation (BISFed). It is envisaged that the creation of an independent national governing body for the sport will take up to five years, during which Boccia Ireland will be governed as a subcommittee of Paralympics Ireland under terms of reference approved by the Board.
To support the development of the new body, Paralympics Ireland marked the news with the announcement of the appointment of Lyndsey Rankin in the part-time role of Boccia Development Manager.
Speaking about the news, Lyndsey Rankin stated: “I am delighted to have the opportunity to work with Paralympics Ireland to create a new and independent governing body for Boccia in Ireland. I am really passionate about the sport, and I’m looking forward to building it from the ground up in the years to come with the support of the Boccia community here and Paralympics Ireland.”
CEO of Paralympics Ireland, Liam Harbison, also welcomed the news: “Boccia is one of the few sports which are unique to the Paralympic Games and Ireland has always had a strong tradition in the sport. We look forward to working with the Boccia community in Ireland to return to the heights of years gone by on a sustained basis over the medium to long term.”
Paul McDermott of Sport Ireland added, “Sport Ireland supports the efforts of Paralympics Ireland on behalf of the sport of boccia and hopes that the new initiatives will revive the fortunes of a sport that has brought great success to Ireland in the past”
Over the coming weeks and months, Paralympics Ireland will also be appointing members to the Boccia Ireland Executive Sub-Committee. This sub-committee will be charged with the governance of the sport, will develop a membership system and build a national competition structure for the sport over the coming months.
If you would like more information, you can contact boccia@paralympics.ie and you can also follow them on Twitter here and on Facebook here.
