The fourth annual Volunteers in Irish Sport Awards has been launched in Dublin.  The awards highlight the contribution of the 450,000 adults who volunteer in Irish sport, often on a weekly basis.
Sport remains the single biggest driver of voluntary activity in Ireland and was covered in a recent issue of Sport for Business Weekly.  The Awards were started in 2007 by the Federation of Irish Sports and are supported by the Irish Sports Council, the Department of Transport, Tourism & Sport and The Community Foundation of Ireland. 
Members of the public are invited to nominate an individual whose contribution to their sport has made a real difference and to provide details on the person nominated.
Ten winners will be selected to receive an award from the nominations received. An Overall or Lifetime award to honour a volunteer, who has consistently given of their time for a sport, a team, or an event over many years, will also be awarded.
Previous winners include John O’Shea from soccer, Brian Craig of Sailing who is largely responsible for attracting the Youth World Sailing Championships to Dublin Bay this summer, Dublin City Marathon organiser Jim Aughney and boxing coach Gerry Fleming
Swimmer Sycerika McMahon, who last week secured her qualification for the London 2012 Olympic Games paid tribute to the volunteers who played a vital role in her sporting career, when she helped launch the 2012 Awards.
“It is impossible to get to the Olympics irrespective of the sport without a huge number of people making sacrifices to get you to that point.”
“This includes friends, family, coaches but also the people at my club and school who invested me at the beginning when I was just another child learning to swim.”
Full details of the scheme and how to enter can be found on line at www.volunteersinsport.ie. The website includes a nomination form and guidelines for the 2012 awards. Nominations can be made by clubs, individuals or sporting bodies.
The deadline for nominations is 3rd August 2012.