Press Release - Weekend 2

Written by Administrator Tuesday, 17 August 2010 11:23

First weekend of the HSE Community Games August National Finals, 2010 deemed a resounding success

Sunday 15th August, 2010:
Athlone was a centre of excitement and expectations during the first weekend of the HSE Community Games August National Finals, 2010 which took place from Friday 14th to Sunday 16th August, 2010 in Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT).


3,000 children participated in a number of cultural and sporting activities including; Gymnastics, Swimming, Gaelic Football, Soccer, Tennis, Pitch & Putt, Volleyball, Olympic Handball, Hockey, Skittles, Cycling, Judo, and Variety (a type of drama, dance and music competition).  They were supported by over 600 volunteers and organisers, as well as family members and friends, who came from all corners of the country to offer their support and encouragement to all of the children participating. Over 200,000 young people from all over Ireland take part in the HSE Community Games qualifiers and finals every year, making it an essential part of the Irish summer.

Following on from a very successful National Final in May, everyone was looking forward to a weekend of competition and enjoyment for the thousands of children attending. The weekend got off to a great start on Friday evening with a colourful and energetic opening event with Emma O’Driscoll, from RTE’s ‘The Den’, and our own HSE Community Games Mascot Oltan the Owl, welcoming all the children as they paraded in to the National Finals event.  Joining Emma and Oltan on stage was RTE’s News2day presenter Yvonne Redmond as the on-pitch announcer together with acts from all over Ireland that entertained the children and adults with magic, music, and dancing.  The HSE Community Games National Finals will continue next weekend in Athlone Institute of Technology from the 20th – 22nd August 2010 where the children will participate in Athletics, Rugby, Futsal, Camogie, Hurling, Rounders and Basketball.

“There are strong contingents from every county involved, and plenty of friendly rivalry, and excellent performances across the events, with everybody excelling in their finals. Most importantly we hope that all of our participants will have an enjoyable, positive and hopefully memorable experience. Through participation we hope that all the children will learn more about themselves, their friends, about staying active, being healthy, and the values of fair play and respect in sport.” said Miceal Curley, President, HSE Community Games.

Dr Nazih Eldin, Head of Health Promotion, Dublin North East, HSE, said “We know that young people who are regularly active have improved fitness and muscular strength, stronger bones and lower weight than their inactive peers. Research has also shown that physical activity contributes to their psychological well-being by reducing anxiety and depression and enhancing self-esteem.  In events like the HSE Community Games, children find a social environment that can promote a spirit of social interaction, cooperation and friendship.  On behalf of the HSE I would like to extend my best wishes for a very successful weekend at the HSE Community Games National Finals in Athlone and hope that it will be an unforgettable experience for all the children participating – one that provides them with many positive experiences of physical activity.”

Every year, the HSE Community Games partnership aims to promote healthy living across all aspects of everyday life including being active, eating well, awareness of the risks of alcohol consumption and the dangers of tobacco. The ongoing “Little Steps” campaign run by the HSE and safefood, promotes healthy lifestyle choices by encouraging families to eat more fruit and vegetables, cook healthy meals at home and for children to be moderately active for at least 60 minutes daily and adults to be moderately active for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week. Further information about being active and eating well is available on www.littlesteps.eu.

HSE Health Promotion staff were on hand at the HSE Community Games to provide helpful tips for eating well and being active as well as hosting a series of healthy smoothie tastings to show how easy it is to make healthy lifestyle choices for all the family.

Speaking over the weekend, Fiachra O’Mathuna, CEO, HSE Community Games said, “These two weekends are the accumulation of a lot of hard work from children, parents and volunteers who have been preparing for the last year to reach this point. Great credit and thanks are due to our title sponsor, the HSE, for their continued support, our host venue AIT, for their commitment to the cause and vision as well as the Irish Sports Council and our other partners and sponsors without which any of this would take place. Most importantly we thank our volunteers and the young people who participate to make the HSE Community Games National Finals the spectacle it is. As delighted as we are with the success of our National Finals, it is the lifelong participation and love of a healthy lifestyle we work to instil in those involved with the HSE Community Games that is most important to us and of greatest value to them.”

Results from the National Finals can be accessed at: www.communitygames.ie. The website will be updated regularly throughout the finals, with the results from the weekend’s activities.

Media Contact:
Gillian Brosnan, Event and Marketing Officer, HSE Community Games
P: 086 3247709 E: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
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Editor’s Notes
•    The HSE Community Games is a voluntary organisation operating through local communities at Area, County, Provincial and National level with over 200,000 participants, 20,000 volunteers and 1.3 million supporters. They provide opportunities for young people to participate in physical, social and cultural activities, to make new friends and experience new and exciting activities. They also help foster positive physical and mental health for all involved from the children participating to their parents and siblings and the volunteers and community. 
•    700 communities in Ireland, North and South, participate in the HSE Community Games. 
•    The Health Service Executive (HSE) is responsible for promoting and protecting the health of the entire population of the country. The HSE became the sponsor of the Community Games in 2006 as they are an important initiative in enabling people to live healthy and fulfilled lives. 
•    Other websites of interest:
www.hse.ie and www.healthpromotion.ie

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