Message from Team Ireland Chef de Mission to Athletes
Fukuroi Pre-Games Training Camp Agreement Re-Signed
Marking one year to go until the re-schuduled Olympic Games in Tokyo, Team Ireland Chef de Mission Tricia Heberle acknowledged the dedication and resilience of Team Ireland athletes in their navigation of the past four month in a message to Olympic hopefuls. Using the IOC theme ‘Stronger Together’ Heberle outlined some of the progress that has been made by the Olympic Federation of Ireland over the past few months in preparing for the new 2021 date, and recognised some of the challenges that athletes have been facing during lockdown.
“It is not always easy for athletes to maintain motivation and belief every day,” the Australian Olympian said, “particularly when we are faced with uncertainty and a constant backdrop of media speculation on whether the Games will go ahead or not. We respect and understand this and are committed to continuing to support our athletes and show transparency in providing regular updates and staying connected. We have one year to go, that’s 365 valuable days left to qualify and prepare for the biggest stage. We are in this together, and stronger together.”
Amongst the many logistical amendments that have been addressed to date, has been the confirmation of the partnership with Fukuroi City for new dates in 2021. Fukuroi is the location of the official pre-games training camp for Team Ireland for athletes prior to their Olympic competition. Speaking about the new agreement, Camp Manager Nancy Chillingworth said,
“We are delighted to have signed a new agreement with Fukuroi City for the Team Ireland pre-games camp next summer. The zoom meeting with Mayor Harada and his team yesterday reinforced the strong relationship that we have built up with the people of Fukuroi, and we are looking forward to continuing to work with them over the coming year to provide the best possible camp for Ireland’s athletes in their final period of preparation for the Games.”
