Gary Mawyer is 35 years old, lives in Celbridge and works with his father in the family poultry business. He is polite and unassuming and, to the majority, entirely unknown. The reality however is Gary has been representing Ireland at international canoeing competitions since he was 16 years old.
In 1996 he was second at the World Championships, topped the world rankings in 2001 and has competed for Ireland at two Olympic Games. Over Easter weekend, while most of us indulged our chocolate fantasies, Mawyer was in England winning the Devizes-to-Westminster race that involves 17 hours’ paddling over 125 miles.
Unfortunately, despite his success there is not enough support in Ireland for competitors like him. Consequently he cannot concentrate entirely on the sport unlike many he competes against. Financially, it is necessary for Mawyer to work roughly twenty hours a week, which, conveniently for him, his job is flexible enough to allow.
It is a daunting life without the requisite funding. “I need time off to go to three big international competitions a year. These are necessary to qualify for the World Championships, not to mention the fifteen to twenty races I compete in annually at home and in England,” he says.
His major overheads are travel, accommodation and equipment. “My expenditure for these items was about €17,000 in 2004.” The Irish Sports Council does contribute towards these but it simply is not possible to concentrate 100 per cent on the sport without some alternative income.
Other countries see things differently. The current World Champion is from Spain and is fully funded. In fact he has never had to work a day in his life. Hungary is another example of how things could be. There, world standard canoeists can also make enough in their heyday to set them up for life.
Across the country, sportspeople similar to Gary Mawyer are dedicating their time, money and effort to represent their country. They do so out of love for their sport rather than any financial incentive and do so without bringing any shame or disrepute to the country. Mawyer and his like are an example of the potential for sporting greatness that exists within Ireland but which is going without the necessary support to encourage further successes. We must remember that support is needed at every level and in every sport in order to maximise the potential we undoubtedly have.