Paralympics Ireland brought together representatives from across Ireland’s sporting landscape last week for the Paralympics Ireland Sports Forum, an engaging and collaborative event focused on strengthening partnerships and advancing the Para sport pathway.
The forum, attended by delegates from a wide range of National Governing Bodies and organisations, provided a platform for shared learning, open dialogue, and strategic collaboration ahead of the next Paralympic cycle.
This diverse attendance reflected the shared commitment across the sporting system to create more inclusive and sustainable pathways for Para athletes.
The event opened with a welcome session and an update on Paralympics Ireland’s strategic direction from Paralympics Ireland’s President Lisa Clancy and CEO Stephen McNamara, outlining the organisation’s evolving focus and its ambition to achieve greater collective impact with its partners over the coming cycle.
A key theme of the day was the Paralympic Pathway exploring the Para athlete journey from grassroots to high performance. Through interactive discussions, attendees shared experiences and insights to strengthen understanding and alignment across sports.
The morning concluded with a presentation by Paralympics Ireland’s Classification Lead, Alice Wainwright on the new IPC Classification Code, offering clarity on what the changes mean for Irish sports and their athletes.
Paralympics Ireland also introduced its Programmes and Services for 2026 and beyond, highlighting new opportunities for collaboration in areas such as Para sport learning and development, research and insight, communications, and technology platforms to optimise operations and data analysis.
The day concluded with a consultation workshop, allowing attendees to engage in in-depth discussions with peers, share what matters most to their sport, and contribute ideas to shape how Paralympics Ireland can best support collective ambitions on the road to Los Angeles 2028.
The Sports Forum underscored the importance of partnership and open communication between Paralympics Ireland and Ireland’s sporting community. By working together, the organisations aim to ensure every Para athlete from emerging talent to Paralympic contender has access to the right support, expertise, and opportunities to reach their potential.
Speaking about the event Paralympics COO Neasa Russel said “It’s a really important time for us and it’s a really exciting juncture for Paralympics Ireland. We have a new strategic direction but also what’s most important about today is that we’re listening to the voices and getting the input, insights and experience of all the sports and practictioners which will help us figure out ultumately how we’re going to implement our new strategy and how we’re going to set ourselves up to have a really vibrant and sustainable sport system.”
