Generation Next - Unearthing future Para athletes

Two key issues lie at the heart of Paralympics Ireland's NextGen Community Series.

Firstly, how to attract more eligible athletes to partipate in Para sports, and as a consequence, building up the strength in depth of Team Ireland's talent pool.

The Sport Ireland National Indoor Arena on Saturday will welcome a raft of people, from those with some experience of Para sports to many others with none, for the the final NextGen event of the year, where athletes with visual, intellectual, or physical impairment can sample a range of sports under the tutelage of coaches and Paralympians.

It marks the second year of the programme, with Paralympics Ireland Pathway Lead Brian Hughes explaining the importance of the initiative.

"It’s about showcasing the sports. By more people being involved, the potential for more people to move through to a higher performance level is greater," he told RTÉ Sport.

Hughes points to the Netherlands as an example of what can be achieved. A country of around 18 million, they finished fourth in the medals table behind heavyweights China, Great Britain and the United States.

They have been running talent identification programmes for a number of years, with their 1000th member coming through in 2024. At the Paris Games, a third of their team came through search events.

"It’s a long-term project," Hughes says. "We have run it for two years, at an average of 100 people per event. If we were to look for 1000 people, that’s a 10-year project.

"That’s where we want to go."

Finding a sport, or sports, is only part of the equation. From there, Paralympics Ireland will look at where the athlete is based, local clubs, whether there are links with Para clubs, as well as tying in with national bodies.

While athletes had