The Irish Sport and Exercise Sciences Association (‘ISESA’) held their second annual conference in TUS Athlone last Thursday and Friday, in front of over 250 delegates.
The two-day conference comes on the back of last year’s inaugural conference in Waterford and brought together some of the leading national and international practitioners, researchers and academics.
The ISESA was established in 2023 and is the representative body for the sport and exercise sciences community in Ireland. It is an all-island, not-for-profit organisation and is also an associate member of the International Confederation of Sport and Exercise Sciences Practice.
There were over 250 delegates in attendance at the conference which included practitioners, coaches, athletes, researchers, postgraduate and undergraduate students, as well as policy makers, national governing bodies and sport and industry experts and representatives.
As well as knowledge sharing and learning, there were also social events in Sean’s Bar and a fun-run on Friday morning where delegates were encouraged to dust off the cobwebs!
There were many panel discussions, symposia and workshops across the two days, while the four world-renowned keynote speakers; Dr Katie Liston, Prof Sam Robertson, Dr Jospehine Perry and Dr Nick Tiller, were extremely well received, covering topics such as bad science and health misinformation, performing under pressure, the ever-growing impact of AI in sports science and finally, the toxic world of online hate in sport.
After the conclusion of the two-day event, ISESA Chair, Prof Tom Comyns, spoke about the overall experience.
“This year’s conference was an outstanding success and we at the ISESA are delighted with the engagement and community spirit that was so clearly evident throughout the two days. The conference facilitated the further development of our sport and exercise sciences community in Ireland.
“It’s only our second year so I can’t thank the ISESA conference team enough for the work that they have done on behalf of all our members and especially the work of Conference Chair, Dr Ciara Sinnott O’Connor, and TUS Athlone and Dr Aoife Lane for being such fabulous hosts.”
The ISESA Chair, Dr Ciara Sinnott-O’Connor added, “We are delighted with the outcome from the 2026 ISESA conference.
“The feedback has been extremely positive and for us the key success was the sharing, learning, networking and collaboration that was so clearly evident throughout the two days. We truly have an engaged and vibrant sport and exercise sciences community in Ireland.
“Finally, a huge thank you to our sponsors and partners, and we look forward to building towards next year’s conference already, which will take place in UCD in May 2027.”