Four boxing club members been accorded their 2024 Volunteer in Sport Awards in their respective counties.

Paddy Joe of Star BC Belfast is the Antrim winner, Brian McKeown of Cavan BC has claimed the Cavan crown, Myles Cresham of Castlebar BC is Mayo’s Volunteer of the Year and Lynda McGrath of Tralee BC is the Kerry winner. They, and 25 others from across sport were celebrated at a special ceremony at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, Blanchardstown.

Throughout November and December 2024, the Federation of Irish Sport called on the public, sports clubs, Local Sports Partnerships and National Governing Bodies in Sport to nominate volunteers whose contributions have made a meaningful difference. This year’s awards saw a record number of nominations from over 53 sporting disciplines, reflecting the incredible diversity of volunteering in Ireland.

Minister Jack Chambers TD, Minister for Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform commented: “The Volunteer in Sport Awards are always one of the highlights in the sporting calendar. It is a pleasure to once again represent the Government as we celebrate the contributions and achievements of our incredible volunteers who sacrifice time, effort and energy so that we can all enjoy sport at local, national and international level. Volunteers are the backbone of Irish sport at all levels and it is important they are formally recognised and encouraged so they continue to drive interest, passion and participation in sports in our communities. I congratulate all those honoured on the day and thank them for their contribution to our society.”

 Federation of Irish Sport CEO Mary O’Connor stated: “The Federation of Irish Sport is proud to honour the 2024 Volunteers in Sport Award recipients, recognising the incredible individuals whose dedication sustains grassroots participation and strengthens communities. Volunteers are the backbone of Irish sport, enabling 1.47 million club members to engage in sport and physical activity. These awards are a vital tribute to their invaluable contribution.”

Sport Ireland CEO Dr Úna May said: “Volunteers are the lifeblood of Irish sport, driving participation across all disciplines. Sport Ireland research reveals unprecedented levels of engagement, with nearly two million adults participating in sport weekly. That’s a real testament to the tireless efforts of volunteers. They don’t merely contribute – they transform aspirations into achievements, making sport accessible and enjoyable for all. We all owe them a debt of gratitude and we’re happy to play our part in recognising their dedication.” 

Head of Louth Sports Partnership, representative of the Sport Ireland National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships and member of the judging panel, Graham Russell said: “The 2024 Volunteers in Sport Awards highlight the nationwide impact of volunteers in driving inclusive participation and strengthening communities through sport. Their dedication breaks down barriers, enriches lives, and promotes active living for all ages and abilities. The National Network of 29 Local Sports Partnerships is proud to celebrate these unsung heroes who make sport accessible and beneficial for so many.”

FULL LIST OF 2024 VOLUNTEERS IN SPORT AWARDS COUNTY RECIPIENTS

County	First	Surname	Club	Sport
Antrim	Paddy Joe	Branney	Belfast’s Star Boxing Club	IABA
Armagh	Francis	Reynolds	Sarsfields GAC	GAA
Carlow	Justine	Collins	Carlow Hockey	Hockey
Cavan	Brian	McKeown	Cavan Boxing Club	IABA
Clare	Nicola	Welford	Derg Athletics Club	Athletics
Cork	John Bosco	Hurley	Liscarroll Handball Club	GAA Handball
Derry	Alan	Nash	Na Piarsaigh Doire Trasna	GAA/LGFA
Donegal	Audrey	Magee	Raphoe Badminton Club	Badminton
Down	Alwynne	Shannon	The Feel Good Factor	Mountaineering
Dublin City Sports & Wellbeing	Paddy	O Reilly	Ballymun Health & Fitness community group	Multi-sport
Dublin Dún Laoghaire – Rathdown	Ruby	Morrow	Monkstown Hockey Club	Hockey
Dublin Fingal	Emily	Crawley	Swords BC	Basketball
Active South Dublin	Denis	Commins	Peamount United	FAI
Fermanagh	Phil	Flanaghan	Tempo Maguires GAA Club	GAA
Galway	Frances	Daly	Special Olympics Swimming	Special Olympics
Kerry	Lynda	McGrath	Tralee Boxing Club	IABA
Kildare	Suzanne	Whelan	Naas Pythons Basketball Special Olympics Club	Special Olympics
Kilkenny	Mick	O’Keeffe	Thomastown Athletics Club	Athletics
Laois	Patrick	Brennan	Crettyard CLG GAA	GAA
Leitrim	Mark	Butler	Carrick on Shannon Rowing Club	Rowing
Limerick	Martin	Casey	Limerick Local Sports Partnership	Multi-sport
Longford	Gerry	Doyle	Heartland Wheelers Cycling Club	Cycling
Louth	Pat	Greene	Seapoint Pitch and Putt Club	Pitch and Putt
Mayo	Myles	Cresham	Castlebar Boxing Club	IABA
Meath	Pat	Comey	Trim AC	Athletics
Monaghan	Pat	McCabe	Clones Town FC	FAI
Offaly	Jude	Feehan	Offaly community games	Community Games
Roscommon	Tony	Christie	Ballinameen GAA Club	GAA
Sligo	Jean	McConnell	Sligo RFC	IRFU
Tipperary	Paddy	Fitzgerald	Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams GAA Club	GAA
Tyrone	Kenny	Curran	Loughmacrory Handball Club	GAA Handball
Waterford	Gavin	Lonergan	Little Vikings special Olympics	Special Olympics
Westmeath	Aoife	McCarthy	Mullingar Handball Club	GAA Handball
Wexford	Nicky	Haberlin	New Ross Rugby Football Club	IRFU
Wicklow	Brian	Whelan	Irish Federation of Sea Anglers	Irish Federation of Sea Anglers

Following the completion of all applicable provincial qualifying competitions, the arrangements for the 2025 National BG4, Junior 1 and Junior 2 Championships are being made available.

Circular:

Draw

The draw will take place, via Zoom, at 2.30pm on Monday February 3rd. Access information has been issued to clubs, county boards and provincial units directly.

Footage of the draw will be up-loaded to IABA’s YouTube channel on its completion.

IABA’s Diversity, Equality & Inclusion Officer, Patrick Adejayan, has commissioned and is funding the Irish Wheelchair Association to deliver in-person wheelchair accessibility awareness training on Tuesday, April 8th.

The 3-hour Accessibility Awareness (In-Person) Training introduces participants to the key principles of Universal Access, Universal Design, Disability Access Certificates and Access Auditing to ensure all aspects of the built environment are accessible.

This practical workshop is highly interactive, with videos, discussions, case studies, design appraisals, route appraisals, problem-solving of everyday scenarios, examples of everyday barriers faced by people with disabilities and more.

After completing the workshop, participants will receive an Irish Wheelchair Association Certificate of Attendance and a resource manual for inclusive activities.

Date and Location

The National Stadium, Tuesday 8^th April between 11am and 2pm.

Registration

Register here: https://shout.com/s/1Wfjrhy5

Places are limited. If you register for a place on this course and cannot attend, please advise IABA’s DEI Officer, Patrick Adejayan, through patrick.ad@iaba.ie so that your place can be offered to an IABA member on the waiting list.

Following the completion of Strandja’s two days of quarter finals, 5 Team Ireland boxers will return with medals.

222 athletes are contesting the competion: 143 men and 79 women boxers, from 22 federations, including Ireland: Algeria, Austrian,Azerbaijan, Bulgaria Chinese Taipei, China (Inner Mongolia), Croatia, Cyprus, England, France, Hungary, Greece, Georgia, Italy, Israel, Kosovo, Pakistan, Slovakia, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Wales.

48kg Louis Rooney, the European U23 champion at the weight, boxed his first contest of the tournament, and made his debut in the opening bout of Ring A’s Afternoon session, against 2023 World champ, Kazakhstan’s Shanzar Taskenbay. The bout, which began at high tempo, was stopped by way of RSCI after Taskenbay sustained an injury to his left hand. Louis will box for an up-grade on Saturday.

Team Captain, 60kg Adam Hession, contested his quarter final against Kazakhstan’s Serik Termirzhanov and England’s Jack Dryden…This was a tight, testy bout which resulted in a 3-2 decision in Adam’s favour. He’ll meet Kazakhstan’s Serik Termirzhanov in the semi finals. Termirzhanov boxed his quarter final against Adam’s team-and-weight mate, Rhys Owens, who left it all in the ring in his second bout of the tournament. He won his way through to the QFs following a 3-2 win over Georgia’s Artyush Gomtsyan.

Paris Olympian Dean Clancy returned for his second bout of the competition, following a 5-0 preliminaries win over Uzbekistan’s Sayat Ilyasov. He met England’s Patris Mughalzai today and equalled that result – he goes, again, to upgrade on Saturday. His weight-mate, 63.5kg Jason Nevin, boxed his second bout against Mukhammedsabyr Bazarbayuulu of Kazakhstan. This was a very tough contest, and Jason left it all in the ring – the decision went to Ba.zarbayuulu

80kg James Whelan was also back in action for his second contest today, boxing Kazakhstan’s Yerassyl Zhakpekov, and despite meeting his opponent toe-to-toe, came out the wrong side of a 4-1 split.

Day Five

Just one Team Ireland boxer in action on women’s semi final day – 48kg Ciara Walsh makes her Strandja debut assured of at least a bronze medal.

She opens procedings, in Ring A’s Afternoon Session, against Kazakhstan’s Aigerim Saattibayeva.

Programme

Watch

The Bulgarian Boxing Federation is streaming the tournament live on its YouTube channel. Links, per ring and session, will be published on the day of boxing.

Boxing in the Afternoon Session begins at 12pm, Irish time, while the evening sessions gets underway at 3.30pm.

Team Ireland

48kg Ciara Walsh, Smithfield Boxing Club Dublin

50kg Shannon Sweeney, St. Anne’s BC, Westport Mayo

54kg Chloe Gabriel, Dublin Docklands BC

57kg Niamh Fay, Phoenix of Ballyboughal BC, Dublin

63kg Linda Desmond, Rylane BC, Cork

48kg Louis Rooney, Star ABC, Belfast

54kg Patsy Joyce, Olympic BC Mullingar

60kg Rhys Owens, Erne BC, Fermanagh

60kg Adam Hession, Monivea BC, Galway, Team Captain.

63.5kg Jason Nevin, Olympic BC Mullingar

63.5kg Dean Clancy, Sean McDermott BC, Leitrim

67kg Darren O’Connor, Olympic BC, Galway

75kg Gavin Rafferty, Dublin Docklands

75kg Josh Olaniyan, Jobstown BC, Dublin

80kg James Whelan, Dublin Docklands

86kg Brian Kennedy, St Brigid’s BC, Edenderry, Offaly

92kg Jack Marley, Monkstown BC, Dublin

92+kg Gus Ide, Crumlin BC, Dublin.

Team Manager: Sean Crowley

Head Coach: Zauri Antia

Coach: Lynne McEnery

Coach: Jay Delaney

Physio: Rob Tuomey

R&J: Mal Scott.

Drawsheets are available here

IABA’s Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Officer Patrick Adejayan, is providing comprehensive online Deaf Disability Awareness Training program, through a partnership with Deaf Sport Ireland.

Attendance for members has been fully funded by IABA’s Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Office.

This initiative aims to equip participants with essential knowledge and skills to better understand the challenges faced by individuals with hearing disabilities. Through a series of engaging modules, attendees will learn about effective communication strategies, the importance of accessibility, and ways to create a more inclusive environment. By investing in this training, IABA reinforces its commitment to fostering a diverse community where everyone feels valued and respected.

Attendees will be engaged through interactive group work and theory content and will be introduced to adaptation tools. These tools will be applied to a variety of games and activities to make them inclusive for all ability groups.

After completing the workshop, participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance and a resource manual for inclusive activities.

Registration

The workshop will take place online from 6 pm to 8 pm on Monday the 10th of March 2025

Intending participants can register here: https://shout.com/s/3hEi1WNA

Places are limited. If you register for a place on this course and cannot attend, please advise IABA’s DEI Officer, Patrick Adejayan, through patrick.ad@iaba.ie so that your place can be offered to an IABA member on the waiting list.