The inaugural West of Ireland Women’s Mini Marathon, a drive to provide increased participation opportunities for jobseekers, introducing children to athletics, and the development of a second sports strategy were just some of the highlights of the 2010 annual report presented to the board of the Mayo Sports Partnership recently. The board’s function is to oversee the workings of the Sports Partnership and comprises 19 representatives from local agencies, community, and sporting organisations within the county.
Chairman Cllr Henry Kenny was loud in his praise for the mini marathon: “Having 3,000 women participating in this fantastic event in its first year was a tremendous achievement and I would like to thank all involved in putting it together. I am sure it will grow from strength to strength in the coming years,” he stated.
Cllr Kenny also particularly acknowledged the ongoing work of the sports inclusion disability officer and the community sports project worker, noting the huge amount of work done in disadvantaged areas. The establishment of the Moy Sports Forum in Ballina and the formation of a countywide boccia league were two of the projects which were mentioned at the bimonthly meeting. He also thanked the Irish Sports Council for its ongoing support and praised Mayo county manager Peter Hynes for hosting the partnership and providing it with key resources in order to carry out its work during this challenging environment.
Looking ahead Cllr Kenny said: “Going forward the current economic environment will provide many challenges for us but sport and physical activity is going through a boom at the moment. Much credit must go to the sports co-ordinator Charlie Lambert and his staff for continually delivering high quality participation programmes and working with local agencies and all sections of society.”
The chairman also congratulated local TD Michael Ring on his appointment as Minister of State for Tourism and Sport and wished him well in his new role.
