Entain : Speed Skater backed by Entain via SportsAid qualifies for Olympics

20 December 2021

Niall Treacy, an elite short-track speed skater supported by Entain through a partnership between its not-for-profit Foundation and SportsAid, has qualified for the Winter Olympics in Beijing next year.

Today's Team GB selection is a personal triumph for Treacy, 21, who will make his Olympic debut racing in the men's 1000m in Beijing. Following a brilliant fourth-place finish at the recent Hungary World Cup, Treacy ended the qualifiers ranking 15^th in the event.

Niall's older brother Farrell Treacy represented Team GB in the same 1000m event at the PyeongChang Olympics and is also part of the three-strong speed skating team announced in today's line up for Beijing.

"It's so exciting, I'm proud of myself for doing it because Farrell went in PyeongChang and it's shown that you can do this," Niall Treacy said today. "It feels like, because he's done it, there's no reason I can't do it either. Four years later, finally we've done it, there's a sense of relief and a sense of pride all mixed in together."

There will be 30 other guys who we'll be racing in the 1000m, so we don't know if I'll be drawn against Farrell in the first round," he added. "If we race it right we could race each other. It's pretty insane to think about it but at that point, you want him to do as well as he can do, but you're also there for yourself."

Niall Treacy is supported by Entain, a global leader in sports betting, gaming and interactive entertainment, through a partnership between its Foundation and SportsAid, the charity which supports aspiring elite athletes. Through this Entain is helping 50 up-and-coming sports stars across the country each year, providing each athlete with an annual award towards costs such as travel, accommodation and equipment.

"We are really delighted for Niall that he will be competing at the Beijing Olympics next year," said Grainne Hurst, Director of Regulatory Affairs and a Trustee of the Entain Foundation. "We support SportsAid because it is clearly helping aspiring young athletes in communities across the country compete at the highest level."

SportsAid is one of several major grassroots and community sports initiatives funded by the Entain Foundation benefitting individual athletes and sports clubs in local communities across the UK. Via its major multi-million-pound Pitching In initiative, the Foundation also supports local football in The Trident Leagues - which bridge the worlds of recreational and professional football - with 240 clubs and 15,000 players in villages, towns, and cities of England and Wales.

Media Contacts

Entain plc Tessa Curtis, Head of Group PR & Media Relations Jay Dossetter, Head of ESG and Press Office Jodie Hitch, PR Manager

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About Entain plc
Entain plc (LSE: ENT) is a FTSE100 company and is one of the world's largest sports-betting and gaming groups, operating both online and in the retail sector. The Group owns a comprehensive portfolio of established brands; Sports Brands include bwin, Bet.pt, Coral, Crystalbet, Eurobet, Ladbrokes, Neds and Sportingbet; Gaming Brands include CasinoClub, Foxy Bingo, Gala, Gioco Digitale, Ninja Casino, Optibet, partypoker and PartyCasino. The Group owns proprietary technology across all its core product verticals and in addition to its B2C operations provides services to a number of third-party customers on a B2B basis.

The Group has a joint venture with MGM Resorts International creating a leader, BetMGM, in sports betting and iGaming in the US. Entain provides the technology which powers BetMGM and exclusive games and products, specially developed at its in-house gaming studios. The Group is tax resident in the UK with licenses in a total of 27 regulated markets. Entain is a leader in ESG, a member of FTSE4Good, the DJSI and is AA rated by MSCI. The Group has set a science-based target, committing to be carbon net zero by 2035 and through the Entain Foundation supports a variety of initiatives, focusing on safer gambling, grassroots sport, diversity in technology and community projects. For more information see the Group's website: www.entaingroup.com