Advertisement

We took a tour of the new €4 million training centre for Ireland's Olympic hopefuls

More than 180 athletes will train at the high performance centre on the National Sports Campus.

THIS IS THE new €4 million training facility that will help Ireland’s Olympic hopefuls to fulfil their world class ambitions.

More than 180 of the country’s top athletes, spanning 18 different high performance sports, will be based in the state of the art centre at the Irish Institute of Sport in Dublin.

The 3,800m² space, which is due to be fully operational by next month, will provide support in the areas of physical conditioning, testing, rehabilitation, nutrition, physiology, medicine, precision analysis and education.

It took 11 months and cost €3.98 million to construct the centre on the National Sports Campus in Abbotstown, while an additional €721,000 has been spent to kit it out with equipment.

The training centre is “one big laboratory,” the Institute of Sport’s director Gary Keegan said, and marks “an evolution in support excellence.”

The42 was among the media invited to take a tour on Thursday afternoon. Here’s what is inside:

A fully-equipped strength and conditioning area

Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

A dedicated boxing gym which will consist of four training rings and one full-size competition ring

Multiple fixed cameras are due to be installed around each ring to assist with performance analysis.

A view of the boxing ring Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

A four-lane, 130-metre indoor running track with performance analysis capabilities including Optojump

A view of the indoor running track at the High Performance Training Centre Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

At one end of the track, there is an integrated long jump area

A view of the long jump at the High Performance Training Centre James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Rehab facilities include an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill, which can reduce the impact of gravity by up to 80% of a person’s bodyweight

A view of the facilities at the High Performance Training Centre James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

The medicine and rehab area is overseen by Dr Rod McLoughlin, Director of Performance Medicine at the Irish Institute of Sport

A view of the medical facilities Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

The “athlete changing village” includes both hot (sauna / steamroom) and cold (ice room) recovery facilities

James Crombie / INPHO James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO

Athletes across all sports can rest, socialise and study in “the social ecology space.” This will include a number of sleep pods

A view of the Athlete relaxation area Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

As well as cooking facilities, the athletes’ kitchen will include nutrition education and demonstrations

A view of the kitchen facilities Morgan Treacy / INPHO Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO

The greatest story never told – a call to arms for those undecided about change

Close
47 Comments
    Submit a report
    Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
    Thank you for the feedback
    Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.