Trinity Sport Olympians Project Wins European Award

Posted on: 07 December 2012

Trinity College Sports Department has won the European Network of Academic Sports Services (ENAS) Award for the College’s Trinity Olympians project.  Head of Sport Michelle Tanner recently accepted the award at the Annual ENAS Conference in Lisbon. 

The Trinity Olympians Project, delivered as part of the College’s programme of Olympic related events during 2012, profiled and recognised the achievements of students and graduates who had participated at the ultimate sporting stage. The project highlights Trinity sportspeople who participated in Olympic Games over a century from 1908 to 2008. The  launch of the project, held on the evening of the Dublin Olympic Torch Relay in June,  brought together a number of the Olympians to celebrate and recollect their Olympic experiences amongst a gathering of Trinity’s students, staff, friends and family.
 
“It is a great honour for Trinity College to receive this prestigious European award for a unique project that acknowledges the achievements of Trinity’s high performing sporting students,” stated Provost, Dr Patrick Prendergast. “This achievement demonstrates the important role sport plays in increasing the profile of the College internationally.”

The ENAS award is an annual competition amongst 97 member institutions throughout Europe. It promotes a philosophy of ‘best practice’ to recognise an event or topic that is campus wide and engages students, staff and the wider College community.  The Trinity Olympians Project captured the imagination and interest of a vast audience, both within and outside of College, and was endorsed by the Olympic Council of Ireland.  The impact of the initiative will be sustained in the long term to showcase the sporting excellence of Trinity students on an international stage, as complimentary to their academic achievements while Trinity.

“This is a highly significant award for Trinity Sport and it is a tribute to the entire College community which embraced the project, which has created a legacy for past and future Trinity Olympians, with the newest members of this group being Natayla Coyle and Mark Kenneally, two current students who competed in the London 2012 Olympics,” said Head of Sport at Trinity, Michelle Tanner. “The award also represents the efforts of the Trinity team whose hard work and dedication to Trinity’s sports programme helped deliver this project.”

 
For a full list of Trinity Olympians and further details on the project visit www.tcd.ie/sport