Black Bush Golf Club to host 2020 European Transplant and Dialysis competitions

Dunshaughlin's Black Bush Golf Club is to host the golf competition at the 11th European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Championships, Dublin 2020, which will be hosted by the Irish Kidney Association from 2nd to 9th August next.

The members of the European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Federation gathered at the Irish Kidney Association’s Renal Support Centre at Beaumont Hospital on Saturday for the launch  of the 2020 Games which followed an inspection tour of sporting venues around Dublin. 
The next day European delegates visited Black Club Golf Club in Dunshaughlin, the venue for the championships four ball and individual golf events.

The 2020 Championships will see transplant and dialysis athletes from over 25 nations, ranging in age from 18 to over 80 years old, descend on Dublin’s northside and Meath to celebrate life through sport. The Championships offer participants an opportunity to honour their donors and play their part in looking after their own health. 
Athletes and supporters will be staying at the games hub, Dublin City University, where many of the sports will be held, while some sports will take place in parts of Dublin’s northside including the National Aquatic Centre, National Athletics Stadium and the Phoenix Park as well as Tallaght Community School on Dublin’s southside with Black Bush Golf Club as the chosen golf venue. 

Transplant Team Ireland member Ron Grainger and member of the Local Organising Committee for the ETDSC2020 explained: "I have been a member of Black Bush Golf Club since 1989 which was well before the establishment of several other golf courses closer to my home in Castleknock. I'm proud to be a member of the club as it's offers a great course and the club is owned by its members. I enjoy its friendly atmosphere.   I'm delighted that it has been chosen as the venue for the 2020 European Transplant & Dialysis Championships with competition taking place on Tuesday and Wednesday 4th and 5th August.

"Its chief green keeper Paul Farrell has assured us that the course will be presented in the best possible condition for Team Ireland and competitors for other European nations to enjoy. On Sunday, when I attended a site inspection with members of the European Federation of Transplant & Dialysis Sport, our European colleagues were keen to express how impressed they were with it. On the day we were left in no doubt by Lady Captain Miriam Horan and Mens Captain Declan Murray as well as Honorary Secretary John Kearns that the club was committed to making next year's event a special, memorable and first class experience for all involved. This sentiment was echoed by next year's Captains James Maguire and Anne O'Neill."
Black Bush Golf Club will host the European Championships golf team event, the 'four ball, better ball', on Tuesday 4th August and the individuals event will take place the following day, on Wednesday 5th August.  
Transplant Team Ireland golfers including Ron, a kidney transplant recipient, have enjoyed great success at previous international golf events. In August this year, when the twelve strong Irish golf team  competed in the World Transplant Games at Close House Golf Course Filly Course in Newcastle they swept the decks with seven medals including three Gold, two Silver and two Bronze for their individual scores and  then followed up two days later with both Ron Grainger and his pairs teammate Tony Gavigan, who plays with Headfort Golf Club Kells, each winning Bronze medals for their impressive third place position out of  54 competing teams. In April this year, Ron and Tony were on the team of five Irish transplant recipient golfers that won the Five Nations Golf Tournament in Livingston, Scotland.
Last Saturday at the launch Giuseppe Canu, the Chairman of the organising committee for the previous Games held in Cagliari, Italy handed over the athletics baton to Colin White, the Chairman of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the ETDSC 2020. Mr White is also Secretary of the European Transplant & Dialysis Sports Federation and National Projects Manager of the Irish Kidney Association (IKA).
The Championships will allow competitors who have either received a transplant (including heart, lung, liver, kidney, pancreas or bone marrow) or who are undergoing dialysis treatment to compete in a broad range of sports on offer -  Athletics (various track and field), Archery, Badminton, Cycling, Darts, Golf, Petanque, Squash, Swimming, Table Tennis, Tennis, Ten Pin Bowling and Volleyball.
The nine members of the local organising committee (LOC) for ETDSC 2020 include the Irish Kidney Association (IKA) national honorary chairman Colin Mackenzie from Portmarnock,  IKA Chief Executive Mark Murphy, LOC ETDSC Chairman and IKA National Projects Manager Colin White ( Balbriggan), Amanda Bissett and Robyn Black, IKA and three team members who were on the organising committee for the 2010 Games - Harry Ward (Baldoyle), Michael Dwyer (Cabinteely) and Peter Heffernan (Skerries). Also on the committee is Ron Grainger (Castleknock) who joined Team Ireland in 2014.

Ron, a retired urologist and kidney transplant recipient, was selected as one of twelve international ambassadors to be part of an Astellas and World Transplant Games Federation ‘Fit for Life’ global organ donor awareness campaign.  On 5th November 2016 Ron and the other ambassadors were honoured to be introduced to a packed stadium in Chicago when Ireland made sporting history beating the All Blacks at the iconic Soldier Field Stadium. 
For more information on the Games, how to support it through volunteering or sponsorship, or to register visit www.etdsc2020.com or contact the Irish Kidney Association tel. 01 6205306