Cerebral Palsy Sport Ireland

The 2008 Irish Paralympic Team came together for the last time on Wednesday night to celebrate the success of the team at this years Beijing Paralympic Games.  The team which returned from the Games with 5 medals, 22 finalists and 24 personal bests, gathered with members of the PCI, official sponsors & supporters at a special “Celebration Evening” hosted by the PCI in the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Santry, north Dublin. 

The evening began with some of the magnificent footage of the Games produced by RTE and a welcome address by President of the PCI, Mr. Tony Guest.  He paid homage to all the athletes, their coaches, managers and all volunteers who contributed to the teams success.  Liam Harbison, CEO of the PCI then issued a number of recognition awards to the commercial supporters of the team as well as state agencies who provided critical services to the athletes.  The recipients included; G&T Crampton Ltd, Speedo Ireland, Coca-Cola Ireland, Waterford Institute of Technology,  Argos, An Post, S.I.N.I, Sport Northern Ireland, Coaching Ireland, Irish Institute of Sport, Dept. of Arts, Sport & Tourism, O’Neills Irish International Sportswear, and the Irish Sports Council.  Addressing the gathering, CEO of the Irish Sports Council, Mr. John Treacy stated: “It’s always a pleasure to celebrate the achievements of Irish athletes on the world stage.  The achievements of this team have been outstanding and has raised the bar for London 2012.  We look forward to supporting you in your efforts for continued success.”

Following the meal, the PCI made a number of presentations to members of the 2008 Irish Paralympic Team.  Honouring the quality of the team, and it’s leader, Chef de Mission, Jimmy Byrne, a special commemorative framed inscribed team photo was presented to Byrne on the night. Speaking afterwards, Byrne noted how it was such an honour to lead this team and praised the PCI for their support and work in the build up to and at the Games.

Commenting on the elite nature of the Paralympic Games and the outstanding achievement it is to produce a Personal Best on the greatest stage, Harbison announced a series of personal best awards which were presented to team members.  The recipients were:

Following the Personal Best Awards, the PCI then honoured the four medal winners on the Irish Team who were each presented with a specially commissioned glass trophy by the Chef de Mission, Jimmy Byrne.  The medal winners whom each received a standing ovation as they made their way to the stage were:

The Athlete’s Representative, Ms. Breda Bernie (Equestrian), then took to the stage to express the athletes thanks to all concerned with the success of the team.  In addition, Bernie made a special presentation on behalf of the athletes to former Secretary General, Anne Ebbs, in recognition of her 21 years of dedicated service to Irish Paralympians.

The formal part of the evening then concluded with closing remarks from new Performance Director, Nancy Chillingworth.  Officially closing the Beijing cycle of events, she called on the athletes proceeding to focus their efforts completely on the London 2012 Paralympic Games.  The party duly started with rousing entertainment from Drogheda Band, “The Enemies”.

INFO SOURCE - Paralympic Council of Ireland - www.pcireland.ie