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Transplant Team Ireland

Countdown to World Transplant Games - Sweden 2011   2011-6-17 17:00:00 GMT+00:00

Home arrow World Games 07 arrow Rousing homecoming guaranteed for record-breaking Irish team
Rousing homecoming guaranteed for record-breaking Irish team PDF Print E-mail
Written by Liam Horan   
Sunday, 02 September 2007
A rousing homecoming is guaranteed on Tuesdsay night (September 4th) for the Irish team which collected a record 39 medals at the World Transplant Games in Bangkok over the last week. irish teamThe 23-strong team will arrive in Dublin Airport at 7.25pm after a Games performance that team manager Colin White described as “a wonderful display of ability and fighting spirit.” Ireland won eleven gold, 12 silver, and 16 bronze medals.

He added: “The consensus is that these were the most competitive World Transplant Games ever, and it is very encouraging that Ireland managed to increase its medal haul. Ireland has never broken the 30-medal mark before and hopefully this will mark the start of an era when more and more Irish people with transplants will take part in sport.

“One of the main purposes of the Games is to show that people with transplants can go on to lead full and healthy lives. Anyone who witnessed the standard of competition here in Bangkok would have been left in no doubt about that.”

As the medals tally rose, supporters posted messages of congratulations on the team’s website – www.TransplantTeamIreland.com.

The Games are staged every two years to celebrate the new lease of life granted to transplant recipients. The Irish team boasted 18 new kidneys, three new livers and two new hearts, and ranged in age from nine to 70.

The Games saw Ireland win its first Gold medals in the sport of Petanque, a variation on the French game of boules. Amid emotional scenes, Bridie Nicholson of Sligo won the women’s Petanque title on Thursday afternoon, and, just a few hours later, Donegal’s Hugo Boyce defeated Thai, Taiwan, French and Israeli opposition to win the men’s title.

The athletes also competed in golf, tennis, track and field, table tennis, ten-pin bowling, badminton, squash, and swimming.

“The great thing about these Games is that the athletes don’t just put themselves to the test, they also honour their donors and the families of their donors,” said team captain Deirdre, Faul, who won three Gold and three Bronze medals.

“We also want to encourage people to carry organ donor cards.”

Within minutes of winning a Bronze medal in the men’s 400m final, Co. Kildare butcher James Nolan telephoned his sister Catherine, who donated a kidney to him 20 years ago. “It’s great to be able to win a world medal as a way of saying thanks to Catherine, and everyone who competes here never loses sight of the fact that they have been given a second chance at life,” he said.

The full squad is: Hugo Boyce (Donegal), Garret Campbell (Wicklow), John Cormican (Roscommon), Paul Donohoe (Cavan), Rachel Eagleton (Meath), Monica Finn (Roscommon), Vera Frisby (Waterford), Tony Gartland (Carlow), Tony Gavigan (Meath), James Hannon (Longford), John Loftus (Limerick), Terry Mangan (Dublin), Deirdre Faul (Dublin), Daniel McCarthy (Cork), Peter Morgan (Dublin), Catherine Murphy (Cork), Bridie Nicholson (Sligo), James Nolan (Kildare), Marie O’Connor (Clare), Paul Prendergast (Dublin), Angela Sherlock (Dublin), Jennifer Tuohy (Clare) and Emma Walsh (Kilkenny.)

The team are due back to Dublin at 7.25 pm on Tuesday 4th September on Etihad Airways flight ey41. Encourage all your family and friends to wear Irish colours. 

For an organ donor card free text the word ‘DONOR’ to 50050.
 
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