Young Irish Women show the way to Olympic success.
Praising Irish sportswomen Alex White calls for renewed focus in closing the gender gap in sports participation.
Commenting on the success of Rathfarnham’s very own Annalise Murphy at the on-going World Sailing Championships in Perth, Western Australia, Deputy Alex White said:
‘News that Annalise Murphy has already achieved Olympic qualification for London 2012, is terrific news for all our aspiring Olympians’.
Annalise’s success follows on from Grainne Murphy’s qualification for the 800 metres freestyle swim the previous week in Eindhoven. And though not yet qualified, Katie Taylor’s successes and UCD’s Joanne Cuddihy continue to inspire a whole generation of young Irish sportswoman.’
Welcoming the work of the Irish Sports Council in this area, Deputy White called for a renewal of the Council’s efforts to close the gender gap. Recent reports have highlighted a clear gender gap in sports participation, with only 34% of women participating regularly compared to 52% of men.
The importance of women’s participation in sport is well recognised by the Irish Sports Council who have completed a large body of research into the subject. That research revealed that less than one in five Irish women came close to conducting the accumulated 30 minutes of physical activity per day, for at least five days per week, as recommended by the World Health Organisation for good health.
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