Fourteen Irish transplant recipients will travel to Perth, Australia next month to represent Ireland at the World Transplant Games (15-21April). This follows a four-year hiatus for the biennial World Transplant Games, as the previous event planned for 2021 had to be cancelled due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The Irish squad gathered at the ALSAA Sports Complex, Dublin airport on Sunday, 12th March and were joined by family, friends and other members of the Transplant Team Ireland programme, to receive their official team kit. T
Ranging in age from 36 right up to 75, the current Transplant Team Ireland panel of 10 inspirational men and 4 women travelling to Perth have all received organ transplants including 2 liver, 2 bone marrow, and 10 kidney. They will be among over 1,200 participants from over 50 countries, all embracing their gift of life and honoring their donors in this celebration of life through sport.
Competition at the Games is by age category and Transplant Team Ireland will have representatives in the following eleven sports: Cycling; Darts; Golf; Lawn Bowls; Petanque; Road Race; Swimming; Table Tennis; Ten Pin Bowling; Tennis; and Triathlon.
To find out more about the World Transplant Games visit website www.worldtransplantgames.org
THE FULL IRISH PANEL IS AS FOLLOWS INCLUDING THEIR TRANSPLANT ORGAN:
CARLOW: Bryan Duignan, Palatine (kidney)
Tony Gartland, Hacketstown near WICKLOW (Liver)
CORK: Michael Kiely, Ballylanders, Mitchelstown, on LIMERICK border (living kidney donor)
Pat O’Sullivan, Mallow (kidney)
Hugh Nolan, Donaraile (kidney)
Mairead O’Mahony, Berrings (bone marrow)
GALWAY: Teresa Smyth, Dunmore, Tuam (kidney)
KILDARE: Bernadette Cox, Newbridge (kidney)
LIMERICK: John Loftus, Clarina (kidney)
MEATH: Tony Gavigan, Navan and native of LONGFORD father of deceased donor (kidney)
TIPPERARY: Sheila Gregan, Nenagh, (kidney)
DUBLIN: Ron Grainger, Castleknock, D 15 (kidney)
Finbar O’Regan, Pearse Street, Dublin 2 (Liver)
Nick Heather, Sutton, Dublin, now living in Melbourne, Australia (bone marrow)
TEAM MANAGER, Colin White from Balbriggan, Dublin