Colour and camaraderie at Community Games

Forty-five years since its maiden outing, the HSE Community Games continues to capture the imagination of the Irish sporting public.

The AIT Campus in Athlone — home to the national finals since the move from Mosney in 2009 — was awash with colour, competition, and camaraderie over the weekend as 5,000 participants flocked to the Midlands, each sharing the one ambition — to bring home the gold.

Winning a medal, however, is by no means a stroll in the park as Ireland’s latest World Champion Rob Heffernan will testify to. The race-walker from Togher competed in the 1993 Community Games finals, but the then 15-year old was unable to garner a podium place.