Sarah Lavin visits Scoil Ide Primary School calling on schools to “Dare to Believe”

Sarah Lavin visits Scoil Ide Primary School calling on schools to “Dare to Believe”. Photo: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile

Olympic hurdler Sarah Lavin paid a visit to Scoil Ide Primary School as part of the Olympic Federation of Ireland Dare to Believe Programme

Limerick Olympian, Sarah Lavin visited Scoil Ide Primary School to bring fun, energy, and inspiration to the classroom as part of the second edition of the Olympic Movement Breaks with The Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) as part of the Dare to Believe schools programme.

The initiative, sponsored by Allianz and supported by Olympic Solidarity through the International Olympic Committee (IOC), brings fun, energy, and inspiration to classrooms across Ireland through movement and sport.

The Olympic Movement Breaks are fun and functional active breaks designed for primary schools – a simple, engaging way to build more active minutes into the school day. Delivered through short 4-5 minute videos, each break can be easily played on a classroom whiteboard or screen, introducing students to Team Ireland Olympians, Paralympians, and high-performance athletes.

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Following her visit with pupils and staff at Scoil Ide Primary School, Sarah Lavin shared her enthusiasm on social media, saying, “A special visit today with Dare to Beleive Team Ireland at Scoil Íde in Limerick! A special thanks to the teachers and very well-behaved kids who told me all about their sporting talents, definitely some future Olympians in this school!”

Over the 2-week Olympic Movement Break Challenge, which will run from November 17 – November 28, students will move, learn, and have fun while mastering key Fundamental Movement Skills (FMS) – the building blocks of all physical activity. Across ten action–packed sessions, classes will explore and practice running, jumping, throwing, catching, balancing, and striking, all while celebrating the Olympic spirit and building confidence through movement. A national study found that a concerning proportion of Irish children (5-12 years old) have not yet mastered these key skills.

Following the success of the first edition, which saw more than 123,000 children nationwide take part, this second series features a new group of Team Ireland athletes who join Sarah Lavin, with Fintan McCarthy (rowing), Orla Comerford (athletics – para), Amee Leigh Costigan (rugby sevens), John Shortt (swimming), Nicola Tuthill (athletics), Gráinne Walsh (boxing), Rhys McClenaghan (gymnastics) and Colin Judge (para table tennis).

Launching the Olympic Movement Breaks, two-time Olympic Champion, Fintan McCarthy said, “It’s great to be part of something that gets kids up and moving, especially in a way that’s fun and fits into the school day. I remember being inspired by Olympians when I was young, hopefully, these videos will do the same for the next generation.”

Dare to Believe was co-founded by Beijing 2008 Olympian Roisin McGettigan-Dumas and Roisin Jones. Speaking at the launch of the Olympic Movement Breaks, the latest initiative from the Allianz-sponsored programme, Jones said, “We’re thrilled to launch the second edition of Olympic Movement Breaks after such a fantastic response from schools last year.

“It’s about making movement fun and achievable for every child, and giving them a chance to connect with real Olympic athletes who embody teamwork, resilience, and joy in sport. This wouldn’t be possible without the support of Allianz and the Olympic Solidarity programme, who help us inspire the next generation to move and believe in themselves.”