Sport Ireland has announced the appointment of Ciarán Ward as Head of High Performance Coaching.
Ward is an International Judo Federation Master Coach, and a 1992 and 1996 Irish Olympian.
He served as Performance Director for Irish Judo since 2020, and prior to this, as Performance Lead for Judo Northern Ireland from 2016.
The Belfast-born coach will focus on activating initiatives within High Performance Programmes which lead to the improved recruitment and retention of talented coaches.
The ultimate aim will be to generate a pipeline of talent in homegrown coaching that will support and bolster increased performance ranking on the European and global stage across a wide range of sports.
Another element of the role will be to elevate the stature of coaching within National Governing Body environment.
Ward commenced in the role on February 1.
