Liam Harbison has been appointed as the new Director of the Sport Ireland Institute, replacing Gary Keegan.
Keegan stepped down from his role earlier in the year and Sport Ireland have been seeking a replacement since.
Harbison will leave his current position as Chief Executive of Paralympics Ireland to take up the position in early February. His job description will be ensuring Ireland’s top athletes receive the best support available, as well as leading the ongoing development of a world class culture within the Sport Ireland Institute.
According to a Sport Ireland statement released with the announcement of the news, Harbison has a proven track record in the area of high performance sport, having served as Paralympics Ireland’s Performance Director before taking up the role of Chief Executive in 2008.
Harbison also served as Team Ireland’s Chef de Mission for the highly successful 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
Sport Ireland Chairman, Kieran Mulvey, welcomed Harbison’s appointment saying: “This is an exciting time for the Institute on the back of the opening of the new High Performance Training Centre earlier this year and as we enter into a new Olympic and Paralympic cycle.”
Harbison’s time at Paralympics Ireland can be deemed a success; at the recent Rio Games, Team Ireland returned with 11 medals surpassing the pre-Games target of 8 medals.
“Liam joins Sport Ireland with a vast amount of knowledge and experience in high performance sport,” said John Treacy, Sport Ireland Chief Executive .
Commenting on his appointment, Harbison said: “While sorry to be leaving the Paralympic movement after 14 great years and the many great people I've had the privilege of working with and for, I'm excited by the new opportunity and challenge of directing the Sport Ireland Institute
“I look forward to working with the Sport Ireland Institute and the National Governing Bodies to continue the great work in world class service delivery to Ireland's athletes through to Tokyo 2020.”
