Sport and Recreational Development
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-11
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Joanna Byrne (SF), Louth

I am asking this question because activities such as chess are not recognised as sports in Ireland. Chess is recognised as a sport in 24 of the 27 EU member states and in over 100 countries worldwide. It is recognised as a sport by the Olympic movement, which holds its own chess Olympiad. After football, chess is the most widely played sport in the world. It has been played for over 1,500 years. Chess has great health benefits for the ageing by stimulating the brain and has multiple benefits for children taking up sport.
I am asking the Minister of State to agree to a change in wording of the definition of "sport" to allow chess to become a sport.
This could have multiple benefits for bridge and similar games. It is a small change that could make a massive difference and have a huge impact on chess players right around the nation.

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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