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Mayor Cllr MacSharry began by thanking the Aikido
organisation for his invitation to attend the
celebrations and stated ‘that Aikido has one of our
most progressive and ambitious sporting success
stories in recent times. From a tentative launch a
mere ten years ago, it has grown and developed to
become one of our most popular activities,
attracting interest from all age groups.
He said that “there are many exciting facets to the
Aikido experience. A fundamental element of its
enduring success is Simone and Lara’s wealth of
experience and knowledge. Equally important is their
unrivalled ability to impart their expertise, and
they have instilled a huge interest among the next
generation of aikido practitioners.”
Mayor Cllr. MacSharry also said that Aikido has been
driven at local, national and international level
and that students have come from Dublin, Meath,
Cavan, Enniskillen and Carrick-on Shannon.
Mayor Cllr. MacSharry went on to commend the
organisation for the way in which the sport has
developed cross-border links with people from all
over Ireland an its vision is not confined by
borders. ‘the way in which they have fostered and
developed cross border linkages, events co-ordinated
with your colleagues in Northern Ireland have
attracted people from all over the country, and this
is a tangible way of promoting the ideal of cross
border co-operation’.
The Aikido organisation in Sligo earned the honour
of official recognition from Aikido World
Headquarters in 2001, and has used this accolade as
the impetus to network with counterparts in Japan,
America and Europe. Its excellent reputation on the
world stage has enabled it to attract instructors
from all over the world, and this has proven to be
an invaluable resource for its members and to sport
in Sligo.
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