Minister of State for Sport and the Gaeltacht, Jack Chambers TD, has launched a public consultation on the development of a new Major International Sports Events Policy.

The main objectives of this consultation are to seek views and understand people’s attitudes towards major international sports events, and the role of Government in supporting them. This public consultation will assist in the development of a policy to underpin a subsequent strategy.

The consultation is in the form of a short survey of 5 multiple choice questions which takes approximately 15 minutes to complete; it can be accessed at the following link: www.gov.ie/majorsportsevents

The closing date is 26 May, 2022. The type of questions you can expect include:

o What’s your definition of a Major International Sports Event?

o What benefits would you like to see from these events?

o What return on investment should there be for Ireland?

Minister Chambers said: “Ireland and the Government is ambitious about hosting Major International Sports Events in Ireland. These events have the potential to drive participation in sport, contribute to trade, tourism, community pride, community engagement, regional development and economic growth. These events can also drive national pride and affect both how we see ourselves as a nation and how we are viewed internationally.

“It is the Government’s intention to bring a more strategic approach to the bidding for major events, to maximise the benefits and to work towards making Ireland a destination for Major International Sports Events. I look forward to reading the responses from a wide range of the Irish public and I particularly hope to hear from National Governing Bodies of Sport, other major event stakeholders and all those involved with sport in Ireland.”