Balbriggan sets Olympic pace

AS Olympics fever sweeps across the country, games of a different sort will be taking place in a north county Dublin town.

Balbriggan Street Olympics is a new sporting event that is being held as part of a community gardaí initiative to stem anti-social behaviour in the area.

Michael Carruth, who won a gold medal in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, launched the event in Bracken Boxing Club, Balbriggan. It will be held on August 6 in Balbriggan Town Park from 12noon to 3pm.

Street Olympics is part of an initiative undertaken by community gardaí Dave Sheeran and Kate Daly Ní Bhrion and is proudly supported by Balbriggan Town Council and Fingal County Council.

The initiative has been successfully rolled out by Dublin City Council so Garda Sheeran and Garda Daly Ní Bhrion decided to bring it to the Fingal area.

Balbriggan Street Olympics will include sports such as athletics, archery, shot putt, soccer, boxing and also some sports played on a Wii game console.

Speaking at the launch Garda Sheeran said:

“We are running this event to bring the young people of the town together in an effort to make them aware that there are alternatives to participating in anti-social behaviour and also to promote the facilities and amenities available to the youth in Balbriggan.

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Fingal County Scouts are supporting the event by bringing in 30 scout leaders from around the county to help chaperone teams participating in the activities.

Scouts from Balbriggan, Skerries, Rush and Swords will be guiding the teams and supervising the activities.

Garda Daly Ní Bhrion said they will be glad to have the support of Fingal Scouts on the day to lend a hand and ensure that everything runs smoothly for all those involved.

“It promises to be a great day for participants and we will be giving out prizes,

? she stated.

“I would like to thank Balbriggan Town Council, Town Clerk Brian Murray and Fingal County Council for their support because we couldn’t hold the event without their input.

“Also, a big thanks to Supervalu Balbriggan for supplying refreshments.

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All participating teams and individuals are required to register themselves for the event with forms available at various locations throughout Balbriggan.

People are advised to keep an eye on the Balbriggan Street Olympics Facebook page and also Balbriggan Town Council website www.balbriggan.ie for further updates and information.