The Olympic Federation of Ireland held its Annual General Meeting on Tuesday evening at the Alex Hotel in Dublin, bringing together representatives from national sporting federations to discuss governance reforms, membership approvals, and future plans following the historic success of Team Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Minister of State at the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport, Charlie McConalogue, opened the meeting by congratulating delegates on Ireland’s most successful Olympic Games to date. He commended the athletes, coaches, and federations involved in delivering a landmark performance on the world stage.
OFI President Lochlann Walsh welcomed attendees and outlined key developments in the Federation’s strategy, including a new international agreement with the European Olympic Committees’ EU office.
This agreement will enable Ireland to participate in an Erasmus-supported initiative aimed at securing EU funding for sports-related programs and activities.
The AGM also saw the unanimous approval of several changes to the OFI Constitution. These included updates to the board election process in cases of mid-term vacancies, new provisions to ensure that the Athletes’ Commission retains voting rights at AGMs and EGMs, and general improvements to the document’s clarity and structure following a full review.
Six sporting organisations were approved for full membership of the OFI. These include Ireland Lacrosse, American Football Ireland, Squash Ireland, Cricket Ireland, Softball Ireland, and Baseball Ireland.
In addition, the board received approval to admit the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) as a full member once it meets the formal membership criteria.
OFI CEO Peter Sherrard addressed the financial outlook and ongoing efforts to expand the Federation’s commercial and philanthropic programmes. He also emphasised the need to strengthen partnerships with other sectors, particularly in education and health, to unlock further opportunities for sport development in Ireland.
Reports were delivered by Chef de Missions Gavin Noble and Nancy Chillingworth, who provided updates on planning for the upcoming Olympic Games in Los Angeles 2028 and Milano Cortina 2026. These updates offered insight into the early stages of preparation and the logistical and operational frameworks being established to support Irish athletes at future Games.
Aifric Keogh, Chair of the Athletes’ Commission, encouraged all national federations to prioritise athlete representation by establishing their own athlete committees.
She underlined the importance of giving athletes a voice in the governance and decision-making processes of their respective sports.
Following the meeting, President Lochlann Walsh expressed his gratitude to members for their continued support and emphasised the significance of the newly approved reforms.
“I would like to thank the members for their support in the ongoing strengthening of our governance. We are very excited to welcome the six new full members as we look forward to their journey towards LA 2028,” he said.
The AGM took place just two days after International Olympic Day and coincided with the release of the OFI’s Annual Report, which highlights the achievements of the Paris 2024 Games and outlines strategic priorities for the coming years.
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