T8. Ms Á Murphy asked the First Minister and deputy First Minister to join her in congratulating Ciara Mageean on her fantastic achievement in winning her gold medal, which many in the Chamber will have seen last night. (AQT 368/22-27)

Absolutely. It was fantastic, and it was good to see the really positive reception to it. So many of our young athletes from Northern Ireland are shining on the international stage. That drives us to say that we must do even more to support them, not least with their training but on their journey right through. They are fantastic ambassadors for sport, for young people and, indeed, for Northern Ireland.

Go raibh maith agat

[Translation: Thank you]

. I thank the deputy First Minister for her answer. Does she agree that it should be an inspiration for young people, especially girls and young women, to participate in sport?

Absolutely. I am passionate about that. We know that many young girls fall out of playing sport at a relatively young age, whereas boys and men often continue to play team sports, in particular, throughout their teenage years but also into their twenties and beyond. We need to support more of that, to ensure that our young girls continue to participate in sport not just at the elite level but at every level. Of course, it is fantastic to see our young athletes competing at the elite level as well. As I said, we know that additional support is required for those who are exceptional in order to allow them to shine, and we need to look at that.