Lucinda Creighton: We should harness Olympic glory to tackle our weight crisis

The incredible efforts of our Olympians in Tokyo are in sharp contrast to the fact that we are now the second most obese nation in the EU

Fintan McCarthy and Paul O’Donovan celebrate their rowing win at the Tokyo Olympics last week. Picture: Inpho

The juxtaposition of lean, fit and healthy Irish Olympians in Tokyo last week with the news from Eurostat that Ireland is now the second most obese nation in the European Union should act as a timely prompt to tackle our national weight problem.

Ireland has been getting fatter, and thus unhealthier, for many years. In 2002, only 15 per cent of Irish people were deemed obese. The Eurostat report last week showed that figure is ...