Pictures: 70 years of Cork City Sports are celebrated

Thu, 15 Aug, 2024 - 16:34

Rachel Lysaght

Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork Honore Kamegni hosted a civic reception this week to mark the 70th anniversary of Cork City Sports.

Cork City Sports 2024 took place last month on the new athletics track at Munster Technological University (MTU), which has reopened after €1m worth of resurfacing works.

Pictured at the reception the Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Honore Kamegni and Rebecca Loughrey, Director of Community, Culture and Placemaking, Cork City Council making a presentation to Tony O'Connell, chairman and Frank Wally, president of Cork City Sports and organising committee o mark the occasion of their 70th anniversary. Pic: Brian Lougheed

The resurfacing was part of a larger investment in athletics at the university, including the completion of the MTU Sports Arena last year. A high-performance indoor athletics training centre will be completed by 2026.

The project received €14m through the Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport, and Media’s Large-Scale Sport Infrastructure Fund.

Pictured at the reception, from left: John Quigley; Trevor Welch and Alice McGee. Pic: Brian Lougheed

The Cork City Sports, Ireland’s premier international track-and-field event, had world-leading athletes from more than 30 countries compete at MTU.

Speaking at the civic reception about the impact that the competition has had on the city, Mr Kamegni, a Green Party councillor, said that Cork City Sports works tirelessly to promote Irish athleticism.

Pictured are Deputy Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr. Honore Kamegni and members of Cork City Sports Organaising Committee. Front, left, Tony O'Connell, chairman, CCS; Deputy Lord Mayor and Rebecca Loughrey, Director of Community, Culture and Placemaking, Cork City Council; Back row from left: Ray Shanahan, Donal Murnane, Joe Hartnett; Frank Wallly, President CCS; Mark Walk; Terry O'Rourke, Michael O'Connell, Maria Walk and Shay Curtin. Pic: Brian Lougheed

“It is so timely that we are hosting this reception now,” he said. “After two weeks where the whole country basked in the success of our Olympic team and enjoyed the spectacle of world-class Irish performances, especially in athletics, tonight is an opportunity to acknowledge the magnificent work of Cork City Sports and its contribution to nurturing and showcasing Irish talent.

“On behalf of the city, I want to acknowledge the success and enduring legacy of Cork City Sports.” The Cork City Sports organisation is a non-profit that was established in 1954.

Pictured at the reception, from left: Sean O'Riordan, Cork City Sports; Paul Gallagher, Vice-President, MTU and Cllr. Terry Coleman, Cork City Council. Pic: Brian Lougheed

The annual event is run on a voluntary basis by a committee that boasts decades of involvement in both business and athletics.

The meet caters for more than 400 athletes and utilises more than 250 volunteers.

Pictured at the reception, from left: Siobhan O'Sullivan, Quality Print with Mark and Maria Walk, CCS. Pic: Brian Lougheed

As the Cork City Sports event is a mammoth task to run, the competition requires the involvement of a number of organisations, including An Garda Síochána, the Defence Forces, physiotherapists, and medical professionals.

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