{"id":545074,"date":"2026-07-11T22:16:13","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T22:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/545074\/"},"modified":"2026-07-11T22:16:13","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T22:16:13","slug":"watersports-inclusion-games-opened-by-president-in-galway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/545074\/","title":{"rendered":"Watersports Inclusion Games opened by President in Galway"},"content":{"rendered":"

President Catherine Connolly has officially opened the Watersports Inclusion Games in Galway.<\/p>\n

This is a free national event giving people of all ages and abilities the opportunity to experience activities on the water.<\/p>\n

Some 300 participants and 200 volunteers are attending this weekend with activities including sailing, kayaking, canoeing, water skiing, powerboat rides and a sensory area.<\/p>\n

The event is centred at the Port of Galway with activities based at Galway Sea Scouts’ Den and Galway Hooker Sailing Club in the New Docks.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the opening, President Connolly said: “We are very fortunate to have this wonderful gift available to us so freely in Galway Bay.<\/p>\n

“A source of life and a force of nature, the water is a world unto itself. Expansive, deep and mysterious, the sea both draws us in and gives a sense of freedom.<\/p>\n

“Its rhythms enable us to move in new and different ways; a sensory experience like no other.<\/p>\n

“Engaging respectfully with the water allows us to connect with, and deepen our understanding of, the wonder of the natural world.<\/p>\n

“The games aim to make watersports more accessible to everyone by creating opportunities for people across the physical, sensory, intellectual and learning disability spectrums to participate in a wide range of activities.”<\/p>\n

\"President
\nPresident Catherine Connolly said the games aim to make watersports more accessible to everyone<\/p>\n

The event is organised by Irish Sailing in partnership with Canoeing Ireland and Galway Sports Partnership, alongside Galway Sea Scouts, Galway Hooker Sailing Club, Galway City Sailing Club and Galway Bay Sailing Club.<\/p>\n

Activities are also delivered with the support of Sailing into Wellness, Diving Ireland and Kinsale Outdoor Education Centre, together with clubs and training centres from across the country that provide equipment, instructors, volunteers and on-the-water support.<\/p>\n

The games have become a key fixture in Ireland’s summer watersports calendar and are part of the organisers’ ongoing commitment to increasing participation in line with Sport Ireland’s Policy on Participation in Sport by People with Disabilities.<\/p>\n

The event is supported through Sport Ireland funding.<\/p>\n

This year’s Games Ambassador is Mark Henderson, a leading advocate for inclusion in Irish watersports.<\/p>\n

A canoeist, Mark became the first wheelchair user to complete the 30km Liffey Descent in 2023.<\/p>\n

\"People
\nThe games organised by Irish Sailing in partnership with Canoeing Ireland and Galway Sports Partnership<\/p>\n

He is a PaddleAble Ambassador and Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Director with Canoeing Ireland, where he works to increase accessibility and participation in paddle sports.<\/p>\n

Through his coaching, advocacy and involvement in events across the country, he continues to encourage more people of all abilities to get active on the water.<\/p>\n

President Connolly was joined by the Mayor of Galway, Cllr Helen Ogbu, who welcomed participants to the city: “It is a great pleasure to welcome President Catherine Connolly and the Watersports Inclusion Games to Galway.<\/p>\n

“We are proud to host an event that reflects the values of inclusion, participation and community that are so important to our city.<\/p>\n

“By creating opportunities for people of all ages and abilities to experience watersports, the Games demonstrate how sport can bring people together, build confidence and enrich lives.<\/p>\n

“I wish everyone taking part a wonderful weekend on the water.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"President Catherine Connolly has officially opened the Watersports Inclusion Games in Galway. This is a free national event…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":545075,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,43,40,38,41,39],"class_list":["post-545074","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545074","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=545074"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/545074\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/545075"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=545074"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=545074"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=545074"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}