On Thursday night in the Conrad Hotel in Dublin 42 votes will be cast to determine who will be the new President of the Olympic Council of Ireland.  A Papal Conclave would have more than twice as large an electorate but at least the OCI members are more diverse in terms of gender.

42 is a symbolic number in Irish sport with the rule of the same number having divided the GAA for many years.  How it divides three ways now will decide, in democratic fashion, who will lead Ireland’s Olympic representative body for the next four years.

There are eighteen candidates for seven executive committee places, and elections as well for Vice President and Secretary but it is the top job that will generate the greatest analysis and the greatest impact in terms of who dons the mantle vacated after 28 years by Pat Hickey.

Democracy

Democracy has a way of making the right decision, though of late that has been called into question to the East and West of Ireland’s shore.  The stakes are a little lower in this election that they might have been in Birmingham, England or Birmingham, Alabama but it is still important.

The role of a sports administrator is rarely one that generates applause or affection.  They are the people though who, through their work and dedication, create the environment in which the passion we love about sport can actually happen.

We will always applaud those who put their hand up rather than wait to throw rocks from the shadows.  In that sense each of William O’Brien, Sarah Keane and Bernard O’Byrne deserve credit for being willing to do just that.

Relish

It is not a role that is without its attractions but in the present climate it is one that few would particularly relish.  Each would bring something different to the role.  Each would, without doubt, serve it to the best of their capacity.

Sport for Business has sought to get to know a little more about what they would do, what their personal reflections are on the Olympics and how they would take the OCI forward.

Each has had the good grace to reply in full and we carry their words today to help those of you who will vote on Thursday to do so with some little knowledge more of what makes them tick, and those who wil be watching to look a little beyond the stereotypes and headlines.

Sport for Business – What do you believe are the key area of focus for the OCI in the next four years?

Sarah Keane: Athletes First – we need a meaningful Athlete Commission and voice. We need to look at various athlete supports and we should consider an Athlete Alumni Network to retain experience.

Fit for Purpose – we need to address our reform and governance challenges and we need forge a new strategy for the organisation which includes having a strong commercial and financial plan in place.

Relevance & Collaboration – we need to work more closely with National Federations and their performance teams on their Olympic journey and resource them in a clear and transparent manner.

Revive the Reputation of the OCI – we need to seek to instill a more open and transparent culture within the organisation which is more inclusive and embraces working in partnerships with others whilst at the same time recognizing the autonomy of the organisation

William O’Brien: There are three vital areas – national federation, athlete and coach servicing including increased financial aid; increased focus on commercial sponsorship for Team Ireland in order to facilitate greater financial support; and good governance in all areas including a particular focus on the International Olympic Committee’s Agenda 2020 which is now being rolled out to 205 nations.

Bernard O’Byrne: The Deloitte Report must be comprehensively adopted and implemented with the agreement of the OCI Federations.

The OCI must be made more relevant to the member Federations through whatever resources, financial and otherwise, it has at its disposal.

Initiatives such as an annual Olympic Forum where sports are put in front of as many young people as possible would mean that the Olympics are not just about medals and the big sports but about participation, enthusiasm and fun.

We need to embrace our past and present Olympians. They can inspire the athletes of the future.

Sport for Business – Tell us one potential change you would like to see that would improve the experience of athletes in preparing for and participating at an Olympic Games.

Sarah Keane: For me it would be important to speak to Athletes and Coaches and get their input on this point. I feel strongly that the Athletes Commission has a key role to play here. We must ensure that we engage much more regularly with our Athletes and Coaches and with our National Performance Directors and sports leads. In my view we must also address the concerns raised in recent months about ticket allocations for athletes and their families in particular.

William O’Brien:  Increased financial support will ensure that Team Ireland will benefit more from pre-Olympic training camps and inter sport experience.

Bernard O’Byrne: Empower individual Federations to bring forward action plans for their athletes. They are the ones who know their athletes and their sports best. The OCI then figures out the best way to support the Federations.

Sport for Business – Do you believe it is important to gain commercial support for Team Ireland in order to have brand experts build out the story of our athletes?

Sarah Keane: Building commercial partnerships and sponsorships is important to support the athletes and the Olympic movement in Ireland. I would like to see us focus on the Winter Olympics in addition to the Summer Games. I also think it’s important to have these relationships in place over the four years of the cycle and not just during the run up to the Games as for those involved it is a long journey to get to an Olympic Games and podium.

William O’Brien: It is absolutely vital. We work closely with the Marketing Division of the International Olympic Committee and others to maximise this area and to build the financial income of the OCI for the benefit of the team.

National sponsors are a vital part of the mix and help to promote national pride in the team and the OCI has a strong record of working positively and successfully in this area.

Bernard O’Byrne: Absolutely. The Olympic brand should be one of the best in Ireland and the World but it recently has been damaged. This can be corrected with new faces, new ideas and new approach.

Sport for Business – What is your personal number one Olympic Games memory?

Sarah Keane: I do not have one particular memory however what I always think back to is being on holidays in West Clare during the 1984 Games and staying up late every night with my cousins, all of us watching the Games together. Sport brings people together and Olympic sport is no exception to that.

William O’Brien: Sitting in the stand as Cian O’Connor won gold for Ireland in Athens – pity the horse was dopy!

Bernard O’Byrne: Michael Carruth winning his Gold on a Saturday morning in 1992. A neighbours child winning Olympic gold with his Dad in the corner.  It doesn’t get much better than that.

Sport for Business – How would you like to see the relevance of the OCI expanded between Games Years?

Sarah Keane: I have covered some of my thoughts on this above however I think generally the OCI needs to become more relevant to Irish Olympic Sport and its athletes and federations.

This election has meant that Irish Olympic sport is talking to each other in a way that hasn’t happened before in my experience and this I believe is a very good thing. We need to create more forums for sharing, for learning, for building our sports and supporting them on their individual Olympic journeys. There are a lot of good people working in our Federations who have a lot to offer to the OCI.

William O’Brien: The OCI is a busy organisation between Summer Games – there are many individual international events as part of our calendar – Winter Olympics, Youth Olympic Games, European Youth Olympics and the European Games – all multi sport competitions and important for athlete development. It’s not all about the Summer Games!

Bernard O’Byrne: More interaction and reporting to Federations.  More demonstration of the Olympic ethic to the public, especially young people.  More alliance with Sport Ireland in all their initiatives.  Working together with organisations, not in an OCI bubble.

Sport for Business – What one or two areas in sport would you like to see Ireland play a key role in internationally over the next four years?

Sarah Keane: I think Irish Sport makes a very positive contribution to the Anti-Doping movement internationally and I agree wholeheartedly with the approach taken by Sport Ireland and others in that regard. I think Ireland should stand tall alongside Olympic organisations such as the US and GB in terms of structures and governance which they have worked hard on during the last few years in particular, and those organisations have made many of the changes recommended by the Deloitte report.

I would also like to see Ireland hosting more international competitions, I believe we have the facilities in many (but not all) cases and we have the expertise to run great events.

William O’Brien: We have great opportunities to develop minor sports in Ireland through  talent identification and financial support. Examples include Taekwondo, Table Tennis and Pentathlon.  Also additional funding, tactically used, for talented individuals. This can produce medals at Olympic Games as has been proved by Team GB in cycling and curling.

Bernard O’Byrne:  I believe the new President needs to be a stay-at-home President. By that I mean I believe that there is a lot of work to do to re-energise the movement in Ireland.  My experience of International bodies is that the thing they most quickly recognise is good work at home. Do the work in Ireland and international roles and recognition will follow.

Those are the words of the candidates.  Now it is over to the democratic process to determine who has garnered the most support for their vision of what the Olympic Council of Ireland should be all about.

Sport for Business will be there on Thursday evening to record events as they unfold.  It promises to be an evening of drama and intrigue, winners and losers having given their all.    Just like an Olympics should be…