21 April 2022
By Tom Collins
tom@TheCork.ie
NDC is delighted to announce Rower Paul O’Donovan as an ambassador for 2022. The Skibbereen native who made history at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo when he and Fintan McCarthy won Ireland’s first ever rowing gold medal winning the Lightweight Men’s Double Sculls A Final. O’Donovan was introduced to rowing in 2001 aged around seven when his father took the two brothers to Skibbereen Rowing Club. His father, himself a rower, coached them in the sport and remained a coach to O’Donovan until 2013.
National Dairy Council caught up with Paul at the Sport Ireland Institute Launch to find out more about how his passion for sport and dedication to a balanced and nutritious diet, help him perform his best,
Rower Paul O’Donovan said, “I’m so pleased to be an NDC sports ambassador. As a farmer’s son from Skibbereen, I grew up with Irish dairy and know the benefits it has in supporting a healthy balanced diet as well as being sustainably produced. It’s really important to educate people on the importance of diet and nutrition to perform at their best, not just for athletes but for young people starting to establish their own health goals – whether it’s for training at school or to feel fitter and more confident.”
A glass of milk offers an abundance of electrolytes in a fluid form to assist rehydration and provides several vitamins and minerals with important roles for health including calcium, phosphorous, and potassium to support bone health, iodine to contribute to normal cognitive brain function, vitamin B2 to assist with energy release, and vitamin B12 to support normal functioning of the immune system*.
Dr Sharon Madigan, Head of Performance Nutrition, Sport Ireland Institute said “Paying attention to eating and drinking habits can impact greatly on the performance of all athletes at all levels. Food is an effective performance enhancer in many ways. It provides us with energy, it builds and rebuilds the body and it can deliver nutrients that are the building blocks of many of the physiological processes involved in exercise. Training plans rarely stay static so neither should your nutrition routine. All athletes will benefit if they tailor their food intakes to suit their own individual needs and are aware that these needs can change throughout the training and competition seasons”.
The National Dairy Council’s media campaign – ‘From the Ground Up’ – is back on TV, encouraging people to take pride in Irish dairy and demonstrating the passion and commitment of the farmers that make it happen.
The new 20’ and 30’ spots feature NDC Farmer Ambassadors Eamon Sheehan , Shane Fitzgerald and Louise Crowley explaining how they take care of the environment, employ sustainable farming practices (and why it’s important) – and how dairy farming is central to Ireland’s national heritage.
