Meath athlete Fergus Cosgrove (second from left) was at the event to honour Tessa van Heerden and Sanet Jordaan. Also present at the event was another high performing athlete David O'Hare from Dundalk.

Meath athlete at event to honour volunteers

Published: Tue 27 Sep 2022, 10:32 AM

Last updated: Tue 27 Sep 2022, 10:35 AM

Two volunteers from Down Syndrome Ireland Louth Meath branch have been honoured for their international contribution to sport for athletes with Down syndrome at the recent World Championships in athletics, table tennis and tennis, held in Nymburk, Czech Republic.

The pair were joined at the honouring event by Louth Meath branch members, top Irish athletes Fergus Cosgrove, from Walterstown near Navan and David O’Hare, a Dundalk native and their mums. These athletes both competed in various athletics events and excelled by setting personal best times in their respective events.

Most recently, the success of Ireland’s first Come & Try Athletics day at Glenmore AC was the brainchild of volunteers Tessa van Heerden and Sanet Jordaan. This was made possible with the support of Down Syndrome Ireland Louth Meath Branch after setting up their first branch sport group, the Warrior Wolves.

“Having been involved with Tsenya for the last six months has been very rewarding for Fergus. He has joined the Warrior Wolves and taken part in the Come & Try day organized by them in conjunction with Glenmore AC, from there Fergus qualified for the World Down Syndrome Championship in the Czech Republic earlier this year," added Tessa van Heerden.

"I travelled there with Fergus and experienced first-hand the inclusive atmosphere and Tessa and Sanet’s professionalism” said Eleanor Cosgrove, mum of Fergus and committee member of Down Syndrome Ireland Louth Meath branch."

Tessa van Heerden has been involved in disability sport for the past 25 years, while Sanet Jordaan joined her in 2015. Together they are known as Tsenya.

Tsenya, the Tswana word for Inclusion, was brought to life in South Africa after volunteers Tessa van Heerden and Sanet Jordaan realised the lack of awareness about sport for athletes with Down syndrome. The pair had just stepped into the international scene as hosts of the third athletics and the first Table Tennis World Championships in 2015 in Bloemfontein, South Africa.

Shortly after relocating to Ireland, they attended an International Down Syndrome event in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, where they were approached by SUDS (the Sports Union for athletes with Down Syndrome) to share their expertise.

During their time with SUDS, Tessa and Sanet have been responsible for marketing and media of international events for the 10 Sport Federations under SUDS, namely IAADS (Athletics), IBA21 (Basketball), FIFDS (Futsal), DSIGO (Gymnastics), HANDOWN (Handball)