Rowing Ireland has said it is not acceptable that some of its elite athletes had negative experiences while participating in its high-performance programme.
Responding to a number of athletes who have made claims about a ‘toxic’ atmosphere within the programme, the body that runs the sport in Ireland has partly attributed any possible shortcomings to the “unanticipated speed” at which elite success occurred in Ireland, as well as the impact of Covid restrictions around the Tokyo Olympics.
However, it has also argued that sacrifices and competition for athletes at elite level are “fierce” and, for coaches, conversations can be “very challenging” when informing those who are not selected.
Rowing Ireland was due to be one of a number of sports bodies that today attended the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Sport, which is examining the experiences of athletes in its programme. However, none of the organisation’s representatives present had held senior operational roles during the period under scrutiny.
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In a private meeting of the Oireachtas joint committee on sport last week, psychologist Dr Paul Gaffney told TDs and Senators that in 2024, he was treating 12 current and former athletes from the sport’s high-performance programme.
Former world champion and Olympian Sanita Puspure and international rower Monika Dukarska also outlined to the committee the culture within the programme under the sport’s former performance director, Antonio Maurogiovanni.
In what was to be its opening statement in advance of its appearance this afternoon, Rowing Ireland said the platform on which Ireland’s success at rowing was built was a “work in progress, something not obvious from afar”.
The unsigned statement said: “Much of the period leading up to, and away from, the Tokyo Games was heavily affected by Covid restrictions.”
Following the most recent Games (Paris in 2024), the board has said it has started a “new era” focused on the welfare and wellbeing of the athlete. It has said it has engaged extensively with staff and volunteers at all levels of the organisation.
“We have also strengthened leadership across the organisation by bringing in experienced colleagues from other sports and sectors, including a new Head of High Performance, a Governance and Planning Lead, new Independent Non‑Executive Directors – meaning the Board is sixty per cent renewed since September 2024 – and a Facilities and Safeguarding Officer.”
It added: “Alongside this, we have significantly improved training, recovery and catering facilities at the National Rowing Centre, and begun the process of appointing an Athletes Director to ensure a direct athlete voice at Board level.”
The statement does argue, however, that in elite sport, the sacrifices and competition can be fierce and rowing is no different.
“Some athletes will make it all the way to the Olympic finishing line in first place. However, it also brings disappointment to those who do not make selection. Conversations which coaches must initiate at this level are always very challenging.”
Separately, in her opening statement Dr Una May, chief executive of the overall governing body for sport, Sport Ireland, acknowledges and regrets the experience of some athletes in the Rowing Ireland high-performance programme
“We want to reassure the committee and the wider community that Sport Ireland responded immediately, appropriately and promptly to any welfare concerns that were raised with us regarding rowing. We can speak to a number of interventions including: mentoring, mediation, meetings, resources and services,” she has said.
Acknowledging there have been issues in Rowing Ireland since 2021, Dr May said they were addressed through available mechanisms, including direct dialogue with the leadership in rowing.
However, she said that Rowing Ireland was an independent body with professional staff, policies, governance and committees.
“It is reasonable and appropriate for Sport Ireland to allow a National Governing Body time and space to address its own issues. Further intervention should only be considered when new information becomes available.
“In March 2021, new information did become available when the clinical psychologist contracted by Sport Ireland formally notified us of potential welfare issues in the Rowing Ireland high-performance programme.
“Sport Ireland directly and repeatedly contacted the senior leadership of Rowing Ireland regarding concerns, its responsibilities regarding athlete welfare and performance staff and its duty to resolve issues satisfactorily.”
Dr May said the issues “took time” to resolve as there were many constraints and complexities.
She said her organisation was open to any mechanism that would allow for a quicker resolution.
“Culture reviews are a key mechanism in understanding and addressing issues within high-performance programmes.
She said that following the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Rowing Ireland did not engage in an independent culture review, despite Sport Ireland’s expectation for one to take place.
She has also disclosed that Sport Ireland used future funding for Rowing Ireland as a “specific lever” in its efforts to resolve the issue.
