2026-03-03

145. Deputy Mairéad Farrell asked the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport to provide an update on the possibility of derogation from the World Athletics 1934 political boundary rule that prohibits athletes from the North of Ireland from representing Ireland at European and world athletics competitions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16819/26]

I believe that Joanna Byrne recently met representatives of Athletics Ireland. There is a route map, and possibly a motion to go to the World Athletics Congress in China. There is a necessity for governmental support in relation to ensuring this happens.

While it would be my wish that athletes from all parts of Ireland should have the choice to represent the whole of Ireland at all major international competitions, as is the case at the Olympic Games, neither the Government nor Sport Ireland has a role in determining who can participate in international competitions organised by international sporting federations. International sporting federations are responsible for determining the composition of their membership, in line with their own internal rules. The international federations - in this case, World Athletics - have a leadership role for their global games, and it is at this level that strategic decisions are taken. Therefore, responsibility for any potential rule change in this regard rests with World Athletics, an independent autonomous organisation. Sport Ireland recognises Athletics Ireland as the national governing body for athletics in Ireland and it is affiliated to World Athletics. Neither I nor Sport Ireland has a role in the establishment, change or application of the World Athletics regulations. It is clear from discussion on this over several years that a successful derogation request to World Athletics authorities would have to be driven by the athletic authorities in Ireland, in collaboration with their counterparts in the UK. Ultimately, I believe that a derogation from the current rule would confer additional flexibility of representation on the athletes concerned and I will continue to offer support to Athletics Ireland and to counterparts in other jurisdictions in support of this position.

I welcome the fact that the Minister of State is in support of a derogation in relation to this. It is only right and I commend the work of the Friends of Irish Athletics who have supported this over many years. I have no doubt the Minister of State has had a significant amount of correspondence from the group in relation to the matter. On behalf of Deputies O'Rourke, Joanna Byrne, a number of others and myself, I ask if the Minister of State would be open to a meeting with a cross-party group within the next, let us say, fortnight to discuss this issue and the Minister of State's facilitation of it. My understanding is the same as his, in that it is about World Athletics. I believe that Athletics Ireland has the capacity, through engagement with Athletics Northern Ireland, British Athletics, Sport Ireland and Sport Northern Ireland, to get all the stakeholders into the room at some stage from the point of view of making sure that a motion would go to the World Athletics Congress in 2027 in China. That engagement could find a solution to this. It is about ensuring Government support and support from the Minister of State. He could play a huge role in facilitating this. If he met us, we could work on a roadmap with these other stakeholders, which I believe are open to this idea.