Meet the Galway powerlifter who crowdfunded her dream to represent Ireland on the world stage
In many sports, the time and effort that athletes invest often goes unnoticed. This issue is particularly prevalent in powerlifting, a sport that rarely, if ever, hits the headlines.
The sport, which consists of three intense barbell lifts - squat, deadlift and bench - is still in its infancy. The Irish Powerlifitng Federation was only founded in 2016 and is not currently recognised by Sport Ireland. Sourcing funding is difficult and often falls to the athletes themselves should they wish to take part in competitions.
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Irish Times
24-07-2025
- Irish Times
Basketball Ireland ‘assessing next steps' after women's team drawn in group with Israel
Basketball Ireland has said it is assessing its 'next steps' after being drawn in a qualifying group for the women's European basketball championships that includes the Israeli national team. The organisation said it was 'extremely alarmed by the ongoing humanitarian situation in Gaza ', and did not confirm that it would play the fixture as scheduled. It said it was 'awaiting clarifications on a number of matters' with Fiba Europe, the European basketball governing body. A spokesperson for Basketball Ireland declined to provide details to The Irish Times on what matters it had raised with Fiba Europe and what clarifications had been sought from the body. READ MORE Basketball Ireland said it 'will also be liaising with players, coaching staff, Sport Ireland, the Government, and other stakeholders over the coming days'. The organisation expects to provide an update on the situation next week. A spokesperson for the Department of Culture, Communications and Sport said Basketball Ireland was an independent body and was 'autonomous in their decision making, including regarding the organisation of and participation in international sporting competitions'. 'Neither the Minister nor the department has any role in this regard and there has been no communication recently on this matter between the department and Basketball Ireland,' a spokesperson said. The Irish women's squad is ranked 81st in the world, while the Israeli national team is 47th. The two teams are first scheduled to play each other on November 18th in Israel, the Irish squad's final fixture in the early stages of the qualifying round. Basketball Ireland would suffer a fine of up to €80,000 if the team failed to play the game after the qualifying competition started, the organisation said. 'Failure to play the return game would lead to a fine of up to €100,000' and removal from the next two European basketball championships, in 2027 and 2029, it added. 'Should Basketball Ireland elect to withdraw from the FIBA Women's EuroBasket 2027 Qualifiers campaign entirely before they commence, a fine of up to €30,000 would be applied', as well as 'additional sanctions' from FIBA Europe which could include 'exclusion from future competitions'. Basketball Ireland secured a core grant from Sporting Ireland last year of €900,000, with a €63,908 grant earmarked for 'women in sport'. Financial statements showed the organisation was working at a €188,000 deficit last year. The Irish team also expressed discomfort with fulfilling fixtures against the Israeli team last year. Basketball Ireland said it could not 'guarantee the safety of the Israeli team' playing a fixture in Dublin due to 'the likelihood of protests' over their presence in the State. [ From the archive: Basketball Ireland CEO on playing Israel game: 'I'm not prepared to destroy my sport for a gesture that will have no impact' Opens in new window ] Israeli team member Dor Saar said last year that 'it's known that they [Ireland] are quite anti-Semitic, it's not a secret', which Basketball Ireland strongly denied and condemned. The fixtures were played, although 'traditional prematch arrangements', such as players shaking hands and exchanging gifts, were not carried out. [ How did the Irish women's basketball team become embroiled in controversy over Israel? Opens in new window ] Israel won both the first game, which led to the terse exchange of words, and the return fixture, both taking place in Riga.
Irish Independent
12-07-2025
- Irish Independent
Meet the Galway powerlifter who crowdfunded her dream to represent Ireland on the world stage
Aine O'Neill will represent Ireland at the Junior Powerlifting World Championships in Costa Rica this August In many sports, the time and effort that athletes invest often goes unnoticed. This issue is particularly prevalent in powerlifting, a sport that rarely, if ever, hits the headlines. The sport, which consists of three intense barbell lifts - squat, deadlift and bench - is still in its infancy. The Irish Powerlifitng Federation was only founded in 2016 and is not currently recognised by Sport Ireland. Sourcing funding is difficult and often falls to the athletes themselves should they wish to take part in competitions.
Irish Daily Mirror
11-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Danger here! Weather Warning for those considering exercise this weekend
Temperatures are predicted to soar for the weekend - it's gonna be a scorcher! Hot enough for all athletes, all the way from those at elite level to enthusiasts, park joggers to walkers, busy midfielders to stand-in-the-sticks goalkeepers, to think is especially important too, for those setting out hiking on any over 900 trails listed on the National Trails Register. It is important to remember that pleasant weather is always an athlete's friend, that hot weather is not necessarily temperatures are expected to get to as high as 27 degrees in places in Ireland these next three days tapering down to still sticky 24 degrees by take precautions, warn Sport Ireland, as exercising in hot weather puts extra stress on your it safe in the gym, in the park, on the pitch and on the streets during your workout and, as importantly, directly are some key tips to follow, advice every athlete needs to know, it is as valuable as good running shoes and the water you ready to run, play, workout, have you planned appropriately? ACCLIMATISATIONIn the Sport Ireland Institute we use an environmental chamber to simulate high temperatures to help our athletes prepare for competition in any part of the world, so we know how important it is to acclimate to hot conditions. If you are new to exercising in the heat, gradually increase your intensity and duration to allow your body to adjust. Start off a bit slower than you might usually and assess the situation after around 15 minutes. If you're feeling good then you can pick it up, but make sure to check in with yourself regularly. Limit your total exercise time to 30 minutes initially, you can increase this as you adjust to the heat. HYDRATEExercising in hotter weather puts an extra demand on your body. Remember to drink fluids before, during and after exercise. Water is a good start but look to add diluted squash, juice or electrolytes when exercising in the heat, to ensure you stay hydrated and are replenishing fluids and salts lost through sweating. Bring a bottle of fluids with you, or plan water stops along your route. If doing long-duration exercise, weighing yourself before and after can be a good way to monitor your fluid loss. For every 1kg decrease in weight, aim to drink 1.5L of fluids. COOLING DOWNAfter exercising in heat, your body temperature will be higher than normal and will remain elevated for a period. Effective strategies for cooling yourself include cold water shower, sipping on colder fluids, ice drinks such as slushies or jumping in an ice bath. This will help your recovery and reduce stress on your body quicker. SKIN NEEDS PROTECTIONIt is important to protect your skin from the sun. You are more at risk of skin cancer if you spend a lot of time outdoors and that includes exercising or playing sports Ireland, the sun can damage your skin, even on cloudy days. Skin damage does not only happen in hot, sunny places. #CHECK THE UV INDEX ON MET EIREANNUltraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun can damage skin and increase your risk of skin cancers. This is because most skin cancers are caused by UV light damaging the DNA in skin cells. UVA and UVB are types of UV light. They damage skin over time, making it more likely for skin cancers to develop. The UV index tells you how strong the sun's UV rays are each day and you need to protect your skin when the UV index is 3 or above. In Ireland, the UV index is usually 3 or above from April to September, even when it is cloudy. UV is usually strongest between 11am and 3pm. THE 'SUNSMART 5s' RULESThe HSE and Healthy Ireland recommends that you follow the SunSmart 5s rules with the catchy shorthand jingle 'slip-slop-slap-seek-and-slide. SLIPSlip on clothes that cover your skin, such as long sleeves and T-shirts with a collar. Sun-protective clothing for babies and children SLOP Slop on broad-spectrum water-resistant sunscreen. Broad spectrum means the sunscreen protects against UVA and UVB rays. Put sunscreen on any skin that you do not cover with clothes. When buying sunscreen, the label should have a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30 for adults and 50 for children. You should apply sunscreen 20 minutes before going outdoors and every two hours after. However, if you have been swimming and towel drying or after sweating you will need to put it on more often than every two hours. SLAPSlap on a wide-brimmed hat to protect your face, ears and April to September the sun is strongest between 11am and 3pm so it is a good idea to exercise outside these times if possible. If you are outside during this time, seek shade. If exercising outdoors, choose routes with shade or consider exercising in parks with on wraparound sunglasses with UV protection to protect your eyes. *for more information visit the SunSmart website.
