LGBTQ+ national marathon champion Aoife Cooke will be sharing her journey towards standing proud in sport as part of an exciting webinar with Sporting Pride Ireland and Athletics Ireland. 

On Monday, November 23, Sporting Pride Ireland, a leading group in getting the queer community active and pushing for inclusivity in sports, are hosting a thrilling webinar titled Standing Proud: My Life As An Elite LGBTQ+ Marathon Runner with Aoife Cooke. This event will be held in association with the National Governing Body for Athletics in Ireland, Athletics Ireland.

At 8 pm on Monday, people are invited to join the exceptional broadcaster and former national level basketball player Anna Nolan, who will be hosting this webinar, and national marathon champion Cooke. The event delves into life as an LGBTQ+ athlete, coming out, and representation in sport. 

A very exciting event on 23rd November with @irishathletics. We are excited to bring you a webinar with @cooke_aoife as an #LGBTQI marathon runner hosted by @annanolan70 with registration details below #lgbtqisport @LINCwomen @GayProjectIRL @corkpride https://t.co/5k86yonivD pic.twitter.com/9o2Mi5VEjw

— Sporting Pride ?️‍??️‍⚧️ (@SportingPrideIE) November 15, 2020

The 5th fastest Irish women of all time over the 26.2-mile event, Cooke, will be speaking about the role sport played in her life growing up, influences on mental and physical development, attitudes among club mates and coaches, along with so much more. This wonderful conversation about her story aims to shine a light on the importance of making sport an inclusive space. 

Chairperson of Sporting Pride Ireland, Aidan Walsh, said, “We are delighted to facilitate this webinar where Aoife, an elite Irish athlete, will discuss her personal experiences of being LGBTQ+ in sport. Her stories will give a unique and valuable insight into making sport in Ireland an even more inclusive environment for all.”

Marketing Manager for Athletics Ireland, Daragh Browne, added, “It’s great to be working with Sporting Pride in promoting this event. Athletics as a sport is so accessible and it’s great to have ambassadors like Aoife willing to speak openly about her experiences which will hopefully inspire others to get involved in athletics.”

Cork-based Frontrunners Club are helping the promotion of this exciting webinar. The group’s Chair Evan Murphy Keogh expressed, “Having Aoife based in Cork and working with the Frontrunners is a great resource and example of what determination and hard work can pay off.”

It’s free to register for the Sporting Pride webinar and can be done so at this link.