Gary Keegan, the director at the Institute of Sport, said: "We are delighted to offer some of our key experts and facilities to assist Paralympics Ireland as they continue to provide top quality support to their athletes and coaches in the lead in to the 2012 Games.

"Working closely with Coaching Ireland, in 2011 we hope to expand our high performance coach development programme in order to support top high performance coaches as they meet the demands of international competition."

The daylong seminar was attended by coaches from archery, athletics equestrian, football, rowing, swimming and table tennis.

 

Nancy Chillingworth, the Performance Director of Paralympics Ireland, said: "The provision of professional development support to our top coaches is a critical goal in our London 2012 preparations.

"Coaches are central to top athlete performance and today’s case studies provided invaluable examples of how sport science principles are being applied into the coaching process within Paralympic sports.

"We are delighted to collaborate with Coaching Ireland and the Institute of Sport in providing this critical support to our coaches."

The seminar concluded with a workshop focusing on  key lifestyle management strategies for coaches.

The workshop, which was presented by Daragh Sheridan, head of performance Skills in the Institute of Sport, highlighted a range of key lifestyle issues that can impair coaching performance. 
 

Declan O’Leary, head of coaching services at Coaching Ireland, said: "Coaching Ireland is delighted to be part of this exciting coaching support programme.

"We aim to complete three workshop seminars in 2011 that are designed to address the key performance needs of Paralympic coaches in the run in to the London 2012 Games.

"In tandem with the direct learning approach that a workshop offers, we will also be offering a mentorship service for coaches to access critical expertise and guidance as they wish throughout 2011."