The HSE Community Games is in its 45th year and is going from strength to strength. Over 3,000 children from all over Ireland will be in Athlone from 16th to 18th August, eager to win medals but mostly excited about making new friends and creating lasting memories.

The HSE Community Games have 2 festivals a year - May and August. The August Festival is predominantly track and field events with some team sports as well such as camogie, gaelic football, hurling, spikeball, futsal and skittles.

Sonia O'Sullivan, Rose-Anne Galligan, Sarah Lavin, Brendan Boyce, Mark English and Sean O'Brien are just some of HSE Community Games past participants - with such powerful role models it's no wonder that the Community Games grows in popularity each year.

Sonia O'Sullivan gave great advice to the HSE Community Games recently when asked about encouraging children to do sport:

" I have 2 girls Ciara 14 and Sophie 11, they are both involved with sports at school and I encourage them as much as I can to take part in lots of different sports with the main focus being on having fun and being active. They take part also in competitions as it is good to experience competition to see how you react. Competition is all around us in school and in work, it is not just limited to the playing field."

And that is the advice that the HSE Community Games is encouraging every child in Ireland to listen to - make sure the main focus is on having fun and being active - but no harm in having a little bit of competition!

Results will be posted on http://www.communitygamesfestival.com/august-results.html throughout the weekend. Tweet

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