The Irish Sport and Exercise Sciences Association (ISESA) held its inaugural annual conference at SETU Waterford last week, attracting more than 200 delegates from across Ireland and Europe for a landmark gathering of the sport and exercise science community.

Under the theme “The Past, Present and Future of Sport and Exercise Sciences Research and Applied Practice in Ireland”, the two-day event brought together practitioners, athletes, academics, students, policymakers, and industry leaders for a dynamic programme of presentations and discussion.

Founded in 2023, ISESA is the all-island, not-for-profit representative body for sport and exercise scientists in Ireland, and is an associate member of the International Confederation of Sport and Exercise Sciences Practice. The conference marked a major step forward in its mission to unite and advance the profession nationally.

ISESA Chair, Professor Tom Comyns, praised the work of the organising committee and the strong engagement from attendees:

“It was brilliant to see it all come together on the SETU Waterford campus and to see such an engaged and invested group of practitioners, researchers and students come together under the one roof in Ireland for the first time.

The area of sport and exercise science is growing hugely in Ireland across professional, amateur and para-sport and the community of practitioners and researchers that work in that area are hugely motivated to grow and to learn.”

A major highlight of the event was the introduction of ISESA’s new Accredited Sport and Exercise Scientist pathway — a nationally recognised professional benchmark for the field. The new accreditation scheme, which replaces the Sport Ireland Institute Professional Accreditation (SIIPA) programme from January 2024, offers a structured and transparent process for practitioners to demonstrate qualifications, experience, and adherence to ethical, evidence-based practice.

Chair of the ISESA Accreditation Committee, Professor Kate Pumpa, described the development as “a major step forward” for the profession:

“Our goal is to support and recognise practitioners who meet high professional standards, and to strengthen the impact of sport and exercise science on health, wellbeing and performance across the country.”

ISESA will host a lunchtime webinar on 26 June 2025 to provide further details about the accreditation pathway and application process. Full information will be published in the coming weeks at www.isesa.ie.

 

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