Limerick hopes to attract Olympic athletes

Amazotheamazing

From today's Irish Times


Limerick hopes to attract Olympic athletes
Karl Hanlon

Efforts to enhance Limerick's reputation for sports training facilities ahead of the 2012 Olympics in London have received a major boost.

Grant aid of €2 million has been allocated by the Department of the Arts, Sport and Tourism for sports facilities at the University of Limerick and Grove Island Leisure Centre in the city.

Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue said he wanted to ensure that the world's leading athletes could prepare for the London Olympics in top-class facilities in Limerick.

Since London won the bid for the Olympics 18 months ago, efforts have been under way to attract elite athletes to Limerick ahead of the 2012 games. It is hoped that the combination of good facilities and access through Shannon airport will entice athletes to choose the city as a training base.

Many elite athletes including Kelly Holmes, Paula Radcliffe and Sonia O'Sullivan have previously used Limerick as a training base.

Leading sports physiotherapist Gerard Hartmann has also treated dozens of Olympic competitors at his sports injury clinic in the city.

Mr Hartmann said facilities at the University of Limerick sports arena were "second to none" at an international level.

UL already boasts an Olympic-size swimming pool and the latest Government funding will be used to construct an additional 25- metre pool.

It is understood that further significant funding will be made available to sports facilities in Limerick in the build-up to the 2012 Olympic games.

Amazotheamazing

Good see further development of Limerick already excellant sporting facilities.

It's actually quite realistic to hope athletes will base themselves in Limerick for the games, Hartmann alone has treated upwards of 70 medallists at Olympic and World games, and Radcliffe and Holmes have praised both the facilities and the city itself.

Amazotheamazing

And from today's Examiner.

Ireland's first indoor rowing centre to built at UL

Construction has begun on the country's first indoor rowing facility which is to be built at the University of Limerick at a cost of €4.3m.

The state-of-the-art Rowing Boathouse will be located on the shore of the River Shannon on the UL campus and has been largely funded by the university's students.

The unique facility will be Ireland's only indoor Rowing 'Tank' where various weather and water conditions will be simulated. It will accommodate up to 16 rowers at a time in training.

The total area of the Boathouse is 1900 square metres. As well as housing the UL Rowing Club, Kayak Club, Mountain Bike Club and Sub Aqua Club the building will include a launch jetty, pontoon and a café area on the river bank which will be open to the public.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the University of Limerick today, John O'Connor, president of University of Limerick, welcomed that the addition of the Boathouse to the UL Campus.

"The UL Boathouse will be an important social, sporting and amenity development for Limerick," said Mr O'Connor. "It is also a great example of the initiative and capabilities of UL students."

Karmafaerie

That's good to hear.
The sports utilities out at UL are fast becoming second to none.

I'm fed up of Hartman though.

Does anybody remember the crap he was spouting about Limerick a few years ago about thugs attacking athletes!
Now all of a sudden he wants the work himself, so he does a complete 180 and decides that Limerick is great all of a sudden.

Amazotheamazing

Karmafaerie wrote:

That's good to hear.
The sports utilities out at UL are fast becoming second to none.

I'm fed up of Hartman though.

Does anybody remember the crap he was spouting about Limerick a few years ago about thugs attacking athletes!
Now all of a sudden he wants the work himself, so he does a complete 180 and decides that Limerick is great all of a sudden.

Iirc, the Leader misquoted him, he'd to go on national radio to get his side of the story out.

Karmafaerie

Amazotheamazing wrote:

Iirc, the Leader misquoted him, he'd to go on national radio to get his side of the story out.

I'm sure I remember him on either Joe Duffy, or Gerry Ryan harping on about it.

Amazotheamazing

He went on Ryan Tubridy (live from O'Mahony's) to explain what happened. He moved his athletes to the South of France for warm weather training, but the Leader started a rumour he intended to move his entire operation to France, when in fact, he was moving his base to somewhere near UL. Presumably to allow the Opera centre be built.

Karmafaerie

I'm thinking about the time Paula Radcliffe was bothered by some knackers down the canal.
He came out and said that his athletes were constantly being harassed, and that if Limerick didn't change that they would stop coming.

Then he came out in the Leader I think afterwards and said that he didn't mean what he said, and that he was sure that other cities in Ireland had the same problems.
He just forgot to mention that on the radio!

I think we're both thinking about different incidents Amazo!