Niamh Buffini is putting vast experience back into sports

Niamh Buffini is the performance operations manager for Paralympics Ireland and a former WTF Taekwondo world champion.

How did you get involved in Taekwondo?

I originally got into it because of my dad, George, was a big martial arts and boxing follower, taking part in both when he was younger. He had eyeballed martial arts for my sister because she was quite sporty. He wanted her to try it but I went along one day and never looked back.

What age did you take it up at and where?

I started when I was 13 in Clondalkin Taekwondo club. Just to clarify there are two different types of Taekwondo and they are very different. The discipline that I am involved in is World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) Taekwondo, which is the Olympic ratified arm of the sport.

What attracted you to Taekwondo?

I was sports crazy as a child, played basketball, tennis and did a lot of athletics. As I got older and started secondary school I was drawn, why I don’t know, to the individual sports. There was nothing about martial arts that caught my attention before I started training in the sport. I got that buzz, took to it and it drew me in. If my dad hadn’t have been involved I mightn’t have gone near it.

You are one of a kind in one respect in WTF Taekwondo in Ireland?

I am a fifth dan Master in WTF Taekwondo, the only female one in Ireland and also the youngest fifth dan in the country. I am also a WTF European Union qualified coach and also possess a global Taekwondo licence, which allows me to participate in or coach anywhere in the world.

You participated in two Universiades in Belgrade (2009) and China (2011) but also in world championships in a couple of different aspects of WTF Taekwondo?

I competed in two disciplines within my sport; the Korean terms are Kyorugi (sparring) and the more technical Poomsae (form), and won World Championship titles in both disciplines. I won national championships for a number of years, competed in two Europeans in Poomsae. For 10 years I competed worldwide in various opens and won a number of medals.

How do you enjoy coaching compared to competing?

After my competition career ended it was a natural progression for me. I would have been coaching while I was competing. It’s always a natural thing in individual sports to give back and mentor people that are coming up through the ranks. I naturally fell into that position. In 2009, I set up my own club, South Dublin Taekwondo.

What’s your background in that side of things?

I have a sports science and health degree from ITT (Institute of Technology, Tallaght). I did an internship with the National Athletes Development Academy (NADA) based in Blanchardstown for the final two years of my degree. That’s where I got my love for the whole business of strength & conditioning. We would have worked with a number of intercounty teams in there. I looked in to the world of S&C in martial arts. I had done a third year project on S&C in the sport of Taekwondo. It’s a major passion of mine.

What appealed to you about taking up the role of performance operations manager with Paralympics Ireland?

It is a completely athlete-centred process. The guys in the office work 24/7 to have it at the best standard it can be. They have a very transparent aspect to what they do, it is all for the athletes. Everyone in the organisation from administration to coaching to the support staff is focused on facilitating the athletes’ pursuit of whatever goals they have.

What does the performance operations manager do?

One aspect of the role is the planning, coordinating and implementing in relations to the logistics and accommodation at the Paralympic Games. I only joined about four weeks ago so what I am working on at the moment is the holding camp for Irish athletes in Uberlandia, Brazil. The next Paralympic Games in Tokyo (2020) would be my project.

What’s the other part of the job?

The other aspect of the role is something I took with me from Taekwondo Ireland, namely coordinating with the sports science and medical team. I would be their direct link to Paralympics Ireland. That involves everything from medical, nutrition, physio, psychology and lifestyle support for the athletes. I would plan out appointments and diaries for the athletes. I would work closely with the sports science and medical team through the heads of the sports as well.