SERC Olympians and Paralympians in Paris Celebration at SSE Arena

Three past students from sports courses at SERC, were centre stage at the Paris Celebration event in the SSE Arena, hosted by the Department for Communities on Thursday 3 October.

Olympic Gold medallist, Rhys McClenaghan and Paralympians Barry McClements and Deaten Registe, were cheered to the stage alongside fellow athletes from Team Ireland and Team Great Britain and Northern Ireland.  The event celebrated the success of all those who competed in the Games and marked a record haul of seven medals – including an unprecedented four golds.

The spectacular event was compered by sports broadcaster, Stephen Watson and Olympian and now broadcaster, Aimee Fuller.  It featured interviews with medal winners and an opportunity to re-live some of the amazing performances from both the Olympic and Paralympic Games on the big screen - including Rhys’ Olympic Gold performance on the pommel horse.

The audience was treated to performances from a freestyle BMX bike rider, a hip-hob dance troupe, and music from DJ Pete Snodden.   The evening concluded with a performance from singer Ryan McMullan who performed his hits Belfast City and Bowie on the Radio to much cheering from the audience.

Sports Minister Gordon Lyons announced additional funding for grassroots sports clubs after a remarkable summer of success at the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. In recognition of their extraordinary accomplishments, each medal-winning athlete will be asked to nominate projects which will receive an investment boost. The Minister said, “This was a truly outstanding summer for sport, and every athlete who took part in these Games can be proud of what they achieved."

Speaking to the line up he said, "Collectively, you have all contributed to an exceptional chapter in our sporting history and set a new benchmark for success.”

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