Northern Irish Sailing Team member Dan McGaughey spoke passionately about protecting waterways across Northern Ireland as the Clean Water Sports Alliance NI was launched on 2 April.
The group, supported by the Northern Irish Sports Forum, currently consists of seven water-based sporting National Governing Bodies across Northern Ireland, with the shared vision of protecting blue spaces across the country.
Naturally, a healthy environment is crucial for any sailing activity in Northern Ireland, as the sea is both ‘a playground and a pitch’ for sailors.
Ahead of the launch of the Clean Water Sports Alliance NI, Dan said: “Over the past couple of years, I’ve had a bit of personal experience with poor water quality. I have ended up getting sick from ingesting water which has caused me to feel unwell.
“I had one period where I had to go and see a doctor and they suggested that the problems I was facing were due to poor water quality.
“We only have a certain period of time when we’re scripted to do blocks of training, so when I am forced to take days off for illness it has a large impact. You have to re-organise a lot of things that you’re going to do because it’s important to keep the consistency of your training high.
“Northern Ireland is such an amazing place! There are parts of the year where we can’t get outside, but in general, we have so many things to do and a major aspect of why people want to come here is the broad spectrum of nature we have. I think the coastline is a really important part of that.
“It’s really important that we have an effective water quality monitoring system in Northern Ireland. If I’m there every day and I’m unaware of the quality of the water, then how is someone who wants to enjoy their hobby meant to tell if the water is a risk to them?”
The Clean Water Sports Alliance NI has three main asks:
- A long-term funding commitment put in place to improve water quality and regulation
- Investment into real-time water quality monitoring equipment
- Advocating a change from ‘bathing waters’ to ‘recreation waters’ within government policy to recognise the wide range of activities that depend on clean water
It is hoped that this collective approach will preserve the future of water-based performance sport and participation in Northern Ireland.
You can support the Clean Water Sports Alliance NI by writing to your local MLA. To find out how to do this, click here.
