Sports Events
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-11
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Charlie McConalogue (FF), Donegal

Just last week the occupied territories Bill was approved by Cabinet and will be brought through the Houses between now and the summer. Let us be clear. The Deputy is suggesting that the Government should get involved in deciding not just for the FAI but for all sporting organisations what competitions they should and should not participate in. The point that she is focusing on most of all is the Israel game coming up. However, she supports and did so again here last night that for all sports where Israel is participating, including for example the next Los Angeles Olympics, Irish athletes should not compete. That is what she is proposing. That would mean the Government getting involved in an unprecedented way in relation to the conduct of all sports and indeed preventing us from being able to participate in the Olympics for example. If other governments across the world took a similar approach to sport, sport simply would not be able to be conducted because of it always being mired in politics. Whatever the merits or otherwise might be, sport simply would not be able to be conducted across the world.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-11/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-11