Call for Irish academy for athletes of African heritage following Rhasidat Adeleke success
Athletics clubs have seen a surge in membership applications from the African diaspora following the inspirational performance of Rhasidat Adeleke at the European Championships
Athletics clubs have seen a surge in membership applications from young people of African heritage in the wake of Rhasidat Adeleke’s glittering success at the European Championships.
However, some clubs have had to turn applicants away due to a lack of resources, prompting one prominent sports figure to call for the establishment of an academy for athletes from the African diaspora.
This would help accommodate the rising level of interest and harness the enormous potential of young athletes among the Irish-African community, according to Ken McCue, a co-founder of Sport Against Racism Ireland (SARI).
READ MORE: Taoiseach Simon Harris offers support to Rhasidat Adeleke over online abuse
He is the cultural officer at Titans Athletic Club in Blanchardstown, which he says had seen a sudden surge in applications from young black athletes as a result of Adeleke’s three-medal haul in Rome last week.
Mr McCue told the Irish Mirror that he hoped Adeleke’s success would also send a message to the country’s sports authorities regarding the need to support and nurture budding athletes from the African diaspora.
“You would think that the sports ministry and Sport Ireland would cop onto the fact that there are all these kids from the African diaspora here who have huge potential,” he said.
“In other countries, in my experience, they nurture athletes from the African diaspora. That doesn’t happen here. We’ve got all these amazing footballers, cricket players, table tennis players – and they’re not being nurtured. They’re not being picked out and developed. It’s frustrating,” he added.
One of Titans’ former stars is Luton Town winger and Ireland international footballer, Chiedozie Ogbene, who was clocked as one of the fastest players in the Premier League last season.
However, Ireland is at risk of missing out on the next Ogbene or Adeleke because athletics clubs are not being given adequate resources to accommodate them. Of the six applications from young Irish-African athletes received immediately after Adeleke won gold in the 4x400m mixed relay, two had to be turned away.
As well as being unable to take in new members, clubs are also having to send athletes away as they reach top level due to a lack of access to adequate infrastructure. Titans are currently looking to send sprinters to train as far away as Cuba, Jamaica and St. Lucia in a bid to fulfil their potential.
“My message [to Sports Minister Thomas Byrne] would be to establish an academy for kids of African heritage, specifically in sprinting. It makes sense,” said Mr McCue.
Meanwhile, SARI has condemned the online racial abuse directed at Adeleke following her outstanding performance at the European Championships, and hit out at the Government to tackle hostility to diversity and inclusion.
“This is another wake-up call for our legislators and those who govern Irish sport,” the organisation said in a statement.
“For some time, the signs of increased racism and an underlying hostility toward Ireland becoming a more diverse society have been evident. SARI has warned of this and of the urgent need for greater attention to be paid to the proactive encouragement of multiculturalism.
“SARI has taken the imperative of this to government and to Sport Ireland but to little or no avail… The continued indifference of most stakeholders is contributing to a situation where those among us who dislike multiculturalism are emboldened to spread fear and hatred.
“SARI would ask that, this time round, all those whose responsibility it is to correct the problem would wake up to the nature of this challenge,” it added.
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