Dublin chosen as EU Capital of Sport (30th Sept 2009)
September 30, 2009 at 2:17 pm Leave a comment
There are high hopes of attracting major international sporting events to Dublin next year after the city was selected to be European Capital of Sport 2010. The news was announced at a special event in the Mansion House this week, attended by representatives from the GAA, FAI and IRFU and other sporting bodies involved in backing the bid placed by Dublin.
Lord Mayor Emer Costello said it was a tremendous achievement for Dublin, which takes over the title from Milan next February. ‘I think that this as an event – Dublin as the EU Capital of Sport – will capture the imagination of Dubliners, but I think it will also have a nationwide impact,’ she said.
Dublin Fine Gael MEP and former Lord Mayor Gay Mitchell said the sporting designation could offer huge financial opportunities. ‘When Dublin gets a directly-elected mayor next year we should really look at what major events we could attract, especially now that we have Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium at Lansdowne coming on. It could be a great way to fill all those empty hotel bedrooms in Dublin,’ he added.
Mr Mitchell set up the Dublin International Sports Council in the 1990s aimed at attracting world-calibre events like the Tour de France.
Entry filed under: Sport and the EU. Tags: .
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed