Overview
- The Oireachtas sport committee described last-minute communications from Rowing Ireland and CEO Michelle Carpenter’s non-attendance as unprecedented.
- Sport Ireland chief Dr Una May defended the agency’s handling of welfare concerns, saying it acted promptly and used mentoring, mediation and other interventions.
- Dr May acknowledged delays and confirmed funding to Rowing Ireland was halted in July 2024 following concerns about the high-performance programme.
- In a private session, psychologist Dr Paul Gaffney told the committee he treated 12 current and former high-performance rowers in 2024.
- Ministers Patrick O’Donovan and Charlie McConalogue asked the department to draft terms for an independent review with the process to begin in a timely manner.