Deirdre Malone

IHREC had used its legal powers, under Section 32(1)(a) of the 2014 IHREC Act, to invite Gymnastics Ireland to carry out an equality review of its services.

In September 2023, Gymnastics Ireland published a statement advising that it had appointed an independent expert to review its policies and procedures, which resulted in a series of recommendations that Gymnastics Ireland was fully committed to implementing.

Following on from that independent expert review, the Commission has invited Gymnastics Ireland to carry out an equality review.

The equality review will consist of an audit of the level of equality of opportunity that exists in relation to Gymnastics Ireland’s provision of services, under the Equal Status Acts 2000 to 2018. The process will involve an examination by Gymnastics Ireland of its practices, and the procedures that it has in place to promote equality of opportunity generally in the provision of services.

In particular, as part of the equality review, the Commission has invited Gymnastics Ireland to:

• Identify all relevant current practices and procedures that relate to promotion of equality of opportunity by Gymnastics Ireland in the provision of services;
• Assess the effectiveness of these practice and procedure in promoting equality of opportunity;
• Identify and assess the practices and procedures Gymnastics Ireland utilises to handle complaints raising an allegation of discrimination;
• Identify whether any issues of equality of opportunity arise; and
• Outline any recommendations and/or findings from the equality review.

In inviting Gymnastics Ireland to conduct an equality review, the Commission is not seeking to revisit or to examine any individual complaint of discrimination made to Gymnastics Ireland. Rather, the equality review will focus more generally on the structures and practices that Gymnastics Ireland has put in place following its independent expert review.

Deirdre Malone, the commission’s director said: “We welcome Gymnastic Ireland’s willingness to engage in an equality review. Sport is an important part of the fabric of our society, and sporting organisations have an important role to play in promoting and protecting equality amongst their participants.

“Equality reviews present an organisation with an important opportunity to reflect on the systems and practices that it has in place, and to benchmark them against its obligations under equality law to ensure that it is fulfilling the duty to promote equality of opportunity and to prevent discrimination”.