2026-06-11

72. Deputy Joanna Byrne asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport if he will consider amending the Sport Ireland Act 2015 and expand the definition of competitive sport and recreational sport to include “all forms of sporting activity which through organised participation, aim at expressing or improving performance and at obtaining improved results in competition at all levels through organised participation” and “all forms of sporting activity which through casual or regular participation aim at expressing or improving mental well-being, self-esteem and at forming social relationships; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43446/26]

I thank the Deputy for raising this important topic for consideration. Sport Ireland, as the Deputy knows, is the statutory body that we have assigned with responsibility for the recognition of sports in Ireland. As part of the recognition criteria, Sport Ireland must be satisfied that an activity meets the criteria for sport as outlined in section 2 of the Sport Ireland Act 2015, which was adopted from the Council of Europe’s definition of "sport". The Act defines competitive and recreational sport, a common theme being physical activity with the aim of improving physical fitness. It defines "competitive sport" as meaning: "all forms of physical activity which, through organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness, and obtaining improved results in competition at all levels". It also defines "recreational sport" as meaning: "all forms of physical activity which, through casual or regular participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, and forming social relationships". The physical activity and fitness underpinning the statutory understanding of sport is important due to the significant physical health benefits associated with sport, for both the individual and for society. These benefits are central to the rationale that we all have and agree on for public investment in sport. The existing definitions give regard to persons with disabilities and older people participating in sport as they begin by noting that sport "includes all forms of physical activity", which can include a wide range of adapted and disability-inclusive forms of sport. There is a risk that a widening of the definition of "sport" by relaxing physical activity conditions could result in an overly expansive understanding of sport that would encompass almost any organised recreational pastime involving competition. Accordingly, I do not propose at this juncture to amend the Sport Ireland Act 2015 as proposed by the Deputy. It is, though, something that can be considered in the context of the development of the next national sports strategy, which will set out a framework for the next ten years. Everything should be up for consideration to make sure we have the right approach, and I am happy to have a good discussion on this matter in that context.

I am asking this question because activities such as chess are not recognised as sports in Ireland. Chess is recognised as a sport in 24 of the 27 EU member states and in over 100 countries worldwide. It is recognised as a sport by the Olympic movement, which holds its own chess Olympiad. After football, chess is the most widely played sport in the world. It has been played for over 1,500 years. Chess has great health benefits for the ageing by stimulating the brain and has multiple benefits for children taking up sport. I am asking the Minister of State to agree to a change in wording of the definition of "sport" to allow chess to become a sport. This could have multiple benefits for bridge and similar games. It is a small change that could make a massive difference and have a huge impact on chess players right around the nation.

I thank the Deputy. I agree chess is a great game, one I played from an early age. Any change that is made to the definition of "sport" within the legislation will have repercussions, not just for chess, and will have to be considered very carefully. We do not have any plans to change it but we are just coming to the end of the period covered by our first ever ten-year national policy for sport, which has been very impactful in bringing sport forward and improving participation across all sports in the country. From this autumn onwards, we will be doing the public consultation to have a new policy agreed by the end of next year to see us through the following ten years. We really want this to continue to be transformative for sport. The issues and their full implications should rightfully be considered in that context. I am happy to have the discussion and I thank the Deputy for raising the matter this morning.

The Minister of State’s response is positive. I cannot ask for more than that. I ask that he keep the matter on the radar as we begin the consultation for, and the implementation of, a new sports strategy. If he bears it in mind, I will be happy to work with him in that regard.

All topics should be up for consideration. Whenever we come to framing a ten-year national sports policy on the direction of travel for our NGBs and everyone working within sport, it is important to have thorough discussions. As I said about a couple of other matters earlier, let us make sure the consideration and consultation are thorough. All points, including the upsides and downsides, should be fully considered and we should have as much consensus as possible in making sure the next national sports policy is really strong, is as comprehensive as it can be, serves our communities as well as it possibly can and ultimately assists sporting competitions while, importantly, having physical activity and well-being at its core.