Olympic Effort By O'Keefe In London

The Irish Minister for Enterprise Batt O'Keeffe is in London this week to discuss opportunities for Irish firms to secure contracts for the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Mr O'Keeffe will visit the Olympic site and hold talks with officials charged with the delivery of the games.

Irish firms have already landed over €200m worth of contracts on the London Olympic site, mostly in construction and it is estimated that up to 10% of the workforce on the site is Irish.

As the Olympic project moves out of construction and on to the next phase, the Dublin Government is trying to help firms secure new contracts in other sectors like security, catering, waste management and the fitting out of the various Olympic venues.

Mr O'Keeffe will visit the Olympic site and be briefed by officials from the Olympic organising committee on future opportunities for yet more Irish companies to do business there.

Minister O'Keeffe met building contractors P. Elliott, John Sisk & Son and Jones Engineering, as well as other sub-suppliers, during a tour of construction sites and facilities for the Games.

He said Irish firms had landed lucrative contracts for the Games and urged others to pitch for business opportunities from the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) - the group charged with the delivery of the Games.

The indigenous job creation agency, Enterprise Ireland, will host an information session with 50 Irish firms and the LOCOG buying team on Wednesday, 13 October, in the Irish Embassy in London.

"Our recovery will be export-led and the success so far of Irish firms shows that we can compete against global players across a number of sectors to win lucrative contracts and create jobs for Irish people," said Minister O'Keeffe.

Enterprise Ireland's Head of International Sales and Partnering Kevin Sherry said: "Contracts for the Games in 2012 can give Irish firms the perfect launch pad for export-led growth in overseas markets.

"The experience and delivery that have helped Irish firms to win business at the Games in 2012 will position them well for other large-scale sporting projects such as the Commonwealth Games in Scotland in 2014 and World Cup and Olympics in Brazil in 2014 and 2016, respectively.

"Most recently, 35 Irish firms met French partners to investigate opportunities around the 2016 Euro Championships in France.

"We urge clients across all sectors with innovative quality services and solutions to pursue new opportunities."

(BMcC/KMcA)