Mary O’Connor issued the call for a more inclusive sporting sector ahead of the Federation of Irish Sport’s annual conference this week. The Irish Sports Monitor’s 2017 report found non-Irish-born adults are 61% less likely to be involved in organised sport, and participation rates among those born outside of Ireland (17.3% of population) are far below the national average. It found that while 43% of Irish adults participate in sport, this drops to 30% for those in the lowest income bracket and 23% for adults with disabilities. “While nearly half of Irish adults are involved in some level of sports participation, these numbers drop off dramatically when it comes to the economically disadvantaged, adults with disabilities, ethnic minorities, the LGBT community, and ageing populations. “At present, 17.3% of the Irish population were born outside Ireland.

Source: Irish Examiner May 20, 2019 03:00 UTC