When I look back to the close of the Beijing 2008 Paralympic Games and the relative success they were for Paralympics Ireland with five medals won, including three stunning gold medal victories in the Bird's Nest, resulting in a final medals table ranking of 36th, they truly were a great Games for Ireland. 

I recall reviewing the success of the team at a reception in Beijing hosted by the Irish Ambassador, Mr Declan Kelleher, when I commented on the primary successes coming from the youth of the squad.  The time for the youth of 2008 to prosper is fast approaching at London 2012.

London 2012 presents so many new and exciting opportunities to a movement such as ours.  In order to capitalise on those opportunities we had to determine what exactly we wanted from a "home" Games (the "Games" are going home to the UK).  Our goals in terms of athletic performance are quite simple:

•          Match our medal haul from Beijing (five medals, including three gold).

•          Target a top 30 spot on the medals table.

•          Fifteen athletes to finish in the top eight in their respective events

•          Provide services and create the environment for Ireland's Paralympians to attain "career best performances" at the London 2012 Games.

The performance of Irish athletes in the qualifying phase of the Games has exceeded our expectations. To have four world champions crowned in 2011 (Michael McKillop and Catherine O'Neill in athletics, Mark Rohan and Colin Lynch in cycling) was outstanding and unprecedented in an Irish context, not to mention the continuing achievements of Jason Smyth as he attempts to qualify for the Olympics along with defending his Paralympic 100 and 200 metres titles.


Behind the headline grabbing results are a string of impressive performances which all point toward great team strength in depth heading to London.  It's fantastic to see some of the breakthrough performances too as athletes and sports try to qualify for the Games. Sean Baldwin (pictured), an Irish Soldier who lost his leg in a horrific traffic accident in Liberia a number of years ago is tantalisingly close to qualifying for London and being our first ever shooter at the Games. It also looks certain that an Irish Para equestrian team will qualify for the first time, a great result for years of toil and endeavour for many dedicated volunteers and riders.

All great stories that often get lost when others have World Championship glory, but equally important in inspiring the next generation of athletes for Rio 2016 and beyond.

Our aims for London stretched beyond exceptional athletic performance.  The major challenges and opportunities facing Paralympics Ireland are "off the field".  What were our hopes and dreams for our organisation back in 2008?  These are just some of them:

•           To greatly increase awareness of the elite nature of Paralympic sport and Ireland's tradition of success at the Paralympic Games.

•           To attract greater depth and breadth of TV coverage for London 2012

•           To garner increased support from commercial partners (prior to this we were wholly reliant on Government support)

•           To grow the organisation in terms of staffing and financial resources

•           To do what it says in our mission – "...to inspire the nation of Ireland".


As we stand with little over 200 days to go to London 2012, the platform of the Games being on our doorstep has reaped a rich dividend for Paralympics Ireland. Our scorecard is quite impressive and indicates that whatever happens during the exhilarating 11 days of competition later this year, London 2012 will have been a great success. Some of the highlights included:

•           Seventeen organisations now officially partnering with Paralympics Ireland

•           Irish TV audiences will get to see the Paralympic Games "live" for the very first time (a major TV announcement coming soon).

•           Major increase in media coverage and awareness of Paralympic sport.  It's looking increasingly like the no. of Irish media representatives covering the Games will treble.  In addition, our new website, www.paralympics.ie, and the explosion in the use of social media have allowed us to communicate with Paralympic sports fans more readily.

•           Paralympics Ireland has grown substantially with our staffing number now at seven (three at Beijing 2008) and our annual turnover increased by 50 per cent.

Our mission to "Inspire the nation of Ireland" targets Irish people all over the globe, of immediate importance is the five to six million people in the UK who have Irish heritage. We are currently working with a no. of Irish groups to ensure they support Ireland's Paralympians in London.  This kicked off recently with our partnership announcement with London Irish Rugby Club.


Two elite Irish sporting institutions collaborating across the Irish Sea provides us with additional sporting expertise but also with a platform to talk directly to London Irish's huge support base in the UK. In addition to London Irish, the LOCOG Irish Community Group and the Federation of Irish Societies in Britain are busy planning a host of support initiatives for the Irish Paralympic Team.  I'm very confident that Ireland's Paralympians will give them a lot to shout about.

It is important we don't however lose sight that in a few months' time the Paralympic Games will wrap up after London and move to Rio. The next steps in our growth will be more challenging as we continue to grapple with a huge economic crisis in Ireland, and Europe. Will the political classes of Western Europe continue to focus on sport when the next edition of the Games is four years and many thousands of miles away?  The answers to these questions are for another day, but I've no doubt the team at Paralympics Ireland will face the challenge and succeed.

A Paralympic year is always exciting for anyone involved in the movement.  This year it's even more so as thousands of Irish fans prepare to follow the team to London.  We are confident of athletic success to match our off-field successes in the last four years. So to London 2012, a big "Thank You" – you've already proved a success for Irish Parasport.

Liam Harbison is chief executive of Paralympics Ireland