2026 AGM: Karen Lewis Elected President
Following the 2026 Triathlon Ireland AGM, Karen Lewis has been elected to the role of president.
Nominated by Newry Triathlon Club, Ms. Lewis received 35 votes with current Vice-President Ian Haseldine (nominated by Carrick-on-Suir Triathlon Club) receiving 15 votes.
Speaking after her election, Karen Lewis said;
“It’s a huge honour, I’m just delighted to be in a position where I will get to serve the membership of Triathlon Ireland for the next few years. I’m looking forward to working with and developing the relationships I’ve already got both with the board, the executive and with the membership.”
“I will lead with integrity and respect, and the voices of the clubs are really important to me, the voices of the volunteers, the people who keep things going everyday.”
Speaking after the meeting, CEO of Triathlon Ireland Darren Coombes commented on the appointment of Newry Triathlon Club’s Karen Lewis as Triathlon Ireland President:
“I am looking forward to working with Karen, and to what our board can achieve under her stewardship. Karen has shown a huge amount of commitment to the organisation as Finance Director in recent years, and is also passionate about our clubs, events and community.”
“It is important also to mention that, as our first female president, Karen started her journey to becoming a club leader and board member through our Women in Sport Advocates programme – this is testament to the success of these programmes nationwide.”
2026 AGM
The 2026 Triathlon Ireland AGM was held yesterday evening, Thursday 23rd April.
This year the AGM was hosted virtually, as it has been since 2020. The elections took place via a secure third party platform during the meeting. There were 52 club voting delegates in attendance, with all others invited to attend the meeting as Observers.
In his report, Triathlon Ireland CEO Darren Coombes gave updates on 2025 performance and 2026 outlook. He spoke about the level of activity countrywide in 2025, and in terms of development programmes this reached record levels. Mr. Coombes mentioned that more in depth updates can be read in the 2025 Annual Report.
Included was an important update on membership autorenewal, and Mr. Coombes announced the team at Triathlon Ireland are committed to including club membership within the membership autorenewal process for 2026.
The meeting also saw updates from the Triathlon Ireland Board, delivered by Board Director Justine Keohane; Anti-doping, delivered by Eleanor Condon; and Finance, delivered by Karen Lewis and Eric Harmon.
resolutions
Three resolutions were proposed by Omagh Triathlon Club, all were accepted. Read more on these resolutions here.
Resolution | For | Against | Abstain |
Resolution 1 | 47 | 1 | 0 |
Resolution 2 | 44 | 1 | 2 |
Resolution 3 | 46 | 1 | 0 |
The board proposed two honorary life memberships of the organisation to be put to vote, both of which were accepted by the voting club delegates.
Desmond McHenry
Desmond (Desi) McHenry is recognised as a pioneer of triathlon in Ireland, having competed in his first triathlon in 1983 during the early development of the sport. He has represented the sport with distinction over many years, achieving success at international level, including winning multiple Age Group medals. His long-standing commitment and contribution to triathlon in Ireland mark him as a highly deserving candidate for Honorary Life Membership.
Anne Paul
Anne Paul is a founder member of Triangle Triathlon Club and has made a significant contribution to triathlon in Ireland both as an athlete and as a leader within the sport. She has represented Ireland at both Elite and Age Group levels and most recently competed in the Commonwealth Games alongside paratriathlete Judith MacCombe. Her contribution to the growth and development of triathlon, along with her representation of Ireland at the highest levels.
