Cycling Ireland has announced a reconstitution of the board
of the national governing body, with president Liam Collins and board members
Eugene Moriarty and Anthony Mitchell departing.
The national governing body said the trio had stepped
down from their positions on the board and on sub committees.
A new president will be elected at the next AGM in
November while current vice president Conor Campbell will effectively step up
into that role, though no formal appointment or election for the president’s
position will take place until the AGM.
Cycling Ireland has also been supported by Sport Ireland
in the process of putting in place new board members. They include:
- Louise Reilly, a barrister and leading anti-doping expert
- Susan Ahern, the former head of legal and compliance at World Rugby
- Emma Hunt-Duffy, head of marketing for Fyffes.
- Gary McIlroy, the former secretary for the college of commissaires
- Claire Young, Cycling Ulster
- Dr Tom Daly, Cycling Munster
Hunt-Duffy is one
of the three board members who signaled to Sport Ireland they were planning to
resign this week from the positions on the board. McIlroy, a well-known figure
on the domestic cycling scene, was commissaire at the recent World Cyclocross
Championships in the US. Daly, who wrote the definitive book on Rás Tailteann,
becomes vice president.
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The
reconstitution of the board follows a period of controversy within Cycling
Ireland. It emerged in recent weeks the federation has used false quotations
when applying for grants from the Department of Sport in 2020.
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Collins and then
the board issued conflicting statements to Cycling Ireland members the weekend
before last. That was followed a week later by Cycling Ireland chief executive,
Matt McKerrow, issuing a statement calling for the issues at board level to be
resolved.
Three directors –
Hunt-Duffy, Marcus Dowling and Brendan Tallon – contacted Sport Ireland last
week saying they intended to resign today. Their resignation letter was not
related to the false quotations controversy and was instead linked to a
completely new issue that emerged more recently within Cycling Ireland.
The national governing
body said today said the new appointments to the board address Sport Ireland’s
gender balance expectations for all boards of national governing bodies. Cycling
Ireland chief executive, McKerrow, said the federation was “delighted” to have
secured the services of the new directors.
“The staff of
Cycling Ireland is hugely passionate and proud of the positive work being done.
The current popularity, investment in infrastructure, and the physical, mental
health, environmental and community building benefits of cycling represent a
once in a generation opportunity,” he said.
“Participation
numbers are growing at all age groups and at all levels of cycling, and the
membership and staff of Cycling Ireland deserve a leadership which is unified
and shares a crystal-clear vision and plan for the development of the sport.
“We are acutely
aware of our responsibility to protect and grow the sport on behalf of our
members and future generations of cyclists. Members are, and always will be,
the most important part of our sport and we now need to redouble our efforts to
serve their best interests.”
