If yes, then the World Transplant Games is for you.  This year we are travelling to Gotëburg in Sweden to celebrate the gift of life through sport.  We will be in Sweden for mid-summer’s night, (the Games run from June 17^th – 24^th), and it will be a great social occasion as well as a festival of sport. With 1000+ transplant recipients representing 50+ countries it is set to be an enormously positive experience.

In pure sporting terms, a team’s success is measured by the number of medals won but transplant sport is about more than that.  There are many competitors involved for whom simply completing their chosen events is their personal goal.  These are the people for whom the relative effort involved can be greater than that of the gold medal winners.

Making the trip to another country - moving outside your comfort zone – is a huge accomplishment in itself for many people.  Organ failure can turn your life on its head and it can be very easy to let it determine how you live.  Participation in a transplant sports event such as the World Transplant Games is an opportunity to show yourself, loved ones and the wider community, that it is possible to live a full life around one’s illness. 

People attend the Games for many reasons but are unified by the desire to celebrate life through sport.  Speak to any of the competitors who have had a transplant and you will find a remarkable zest for life.  They are keen to embrace their ‘second chance’ and many feel that by living a healthy and full life it is their way of showing gratitude to their donors and the families of the donors.  Whilst everyone derives personal fulfilment from putting in a good performance at the Games it is always the donor who is at the fore-front of their thoughts.  “This is for my donor,” is a common refrain heard during Games week.

The World Transplant Games is about celebrating life and the strength and generosity of the human spirit.  I believe that its success can be measured in the lifestyle it encourages – regular exercise and good friendship.  Although I have only been involved for a relatively short time, I have seen many positive lifestyle changes inspired by events such as the World Transplant Games which give people a clear goal to aim for.  I have also been fortunate to witness, first-hand, what true friendship is all about.

Transplant Sport is a magical entity and it is beholden on all of us already involved to ‘share the feeling’ with others.  I, for one, find it a truly enriching experience and look forward to many more years of involvement and meeting many more inspirational people.  Hosting the European Transplant & Dialysis Games in Dublin in 2010 (www.2010newlife.com) was a great challenge but was also be a truly rewarding journey!

If you want to join the ‘family’ that is Transplant Team Ireland, contact me in the Irish Kidney Association ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).