On the heels of Swim Ireland having announced its 10-strong roster for the 2019 World Championships, the nation’s Olympic Federation revealed where Team Ireland will set-up its pre-Games training camps ahead of the 2020 Olympics in Japan.
The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) has signed an agreement with officials from the city of Fukuroi, while also announcing its Deputy Chef de Mission appointment of Gavin Nobel and Performance Manager appointment of Nancy Chillingworth.
Fukuroi City is located in the western part of Shizuoka Prefecture, about 150 miles outside of Tokyo, close to the Tomei Expressway and National Highways. There are 3 training camp pools within the Shizuoka Prefecture, including Fuji Swimming, Hamamatsu City and Nishigaya General Sports Complex, although the specific pool for Ireland has not yet been specified. Hamamatsu is the closest of the 3 to Fukuroi City.
Mayor Hideyuki Harada of Fukuroi City commented on the agreement, “We are delighted that Fukuroi has been selected as official pre games training camp for the Irish Olympic Team. In recent months we have worked hard with the Olympic Federation of Ireland to deliver on the detail of their requirements during this important phase of preparation for Team Ireland.
“Through this partnership, we hope to build on our relationships with Ireland and Irish supporters, starting with this year’s Rugby World Cup when the Irish Rugby Team will play Japan in Ecopa Stadium, located in Fukuroi City.”
Peter Sherrard, Chief Executive of the Olympic Federation of Ireland said of the partnership, “Through today’s agreement with Fukuroi City, we have now secured all of the major elements required for our athletes at the pre games training camp. I want to thank Mayor Harada and the City for their excellent cooperation to achieve this in a timely fashion.
“We do this in partnership with Sport Ireland and I thank John Treacy and his team at the Sport Ireland Institute for a joined up approach that places the athletes and their performances first.
“Within our own team, today’s appointments of Olympian Gavin Noble as Deputy Chef de Mission and Nancy Chillingworth as Performance Manager represent a major step forward and will support the important work of our Chef de Mission Tricia Heberle as we gear up for Tokyo 2020. The strength of our relationship with the Sport Ireland Institute is evident also with the appointments of Liam Harbison as Deputy Chef de Mission and Phil Moore as Head of Performance Support.”
CEO of Sport Ireland John Treacy said, “Preparations for Tokyo 2020 are really gathering pace as we move closer to the Games next year. Today’s announcements are all important milestones in the pre-Games, athlete centred plan that has been prepared by the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Sport Ireland and Sport Ireland Institute. We have continued to advance our close collaboration between Sport Ireland and the Olympic Federation of Ireland and we are all firmly focused on ensuring that our athletes have the necessary support in the run up to the Games next year. The world-class facilities that will available to Team Ireland at the pre-Games camp in Fukuroi City are second to none. I was very pleased to meet Mayor Harada and a delegation of officials from Fukuroi City earlier today and I was very encouraged by their commitment to ensuring that Team Ireland are well looked after during they stay in their City ahead of the Games next year.”
Below are the other Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games training camp announcements we have published thus far: