Rowing Ireland CEO Michelle Carpenter, who was unable to attend January’s Oireachtas committee meeting to discuss athlete welfare in the sport’s high-performance programme, remains on leave until the middle of March. A former CEO of both Triathlon Ireland and Cycling Ireland, he took on the post of head of governance and planning in the rowing body last summer. Rowing Ireland, when asked by the Irish Examiner if an investigation had been held about the communications, said they had been reviewed but that they could not comment further as it related to “an individual staff member and internal employment processes”. Rowing Ireland has said that athlete welfare remains a priority, and that a number of “additional supports” have been put in place in recent months to allow athletes to raise concerns through independent channels. “Rowing Ireland will fully cooperate with the independent review requested by the Minister for Sport and will engage constructively with any recommendations that follow,” a statement from the body said.

Source: Irish Examiner March 06, 2026 10:23 UTC