The President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland has stated that the goal at the Paris Olympics in the coming weeks is to break their six-medal haul record. At the last Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, Ireland won four medals—gold and bronze—in boxing and rowing. Ireland's best medal haul (six in total) came at London 2012.
Sarah Keane, the President of the Olympic Federation of Ireland, believes the country is well-prepared to break that total of six, not just because they are sending the biggest contingent, but because they are sending the best.
Up to 20 Irish athletes will participate in the opening ceremony, although the total number of Irish athletes competing in the Games is 133, the largest contingent ever.
"One of the important things is that it's a team across a lot of different breadths of sports, whereas traditionally, obviously, we've medaled in a couple of particular sports such as boxing and rowing, and obviously, they're very good contenders here again," said Keane on Morning Ireland on Friday morning.
"Six [medals] has been our best and we are definitely aiming to be higher than that," she said, adding that in order to do so, "you have to create double the number of opportunities to medal."
"So, if you want to get, let's say, eight medals, you need about 16 opportunities to medal across those sports to really see if it can happen for you. We're very confident that we have those opportunities.
"We're going to need our team to perform at their best at the time that counts. And obviously, we'll also need a bit of the luck of the Irish as well, because that's sport for you."
Dublin , Ireland, July 3, 2024: OFI president and Swim Ireland chief executive Sarah Keane speaks during an Olympic Federation of Ireland and Sport Ireland media conference ahead of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Sport Ireland Institute on the Sport Ireland Campus in Dublin. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images) )Keane has also credited the organisation and Sport Ireland for the upcoming games, and the successful government funding has made a "big difference."
"There is a direct link between funding and high-performance results," Ms. Keane said.
Many families were not able to make it to the Tokyo Games in 2020 due to distance and logistics, but this year there has been a bigger effort from peers of the Irish athletes.
"They're just really excited to be part of this experience," Ms. Keane added.
The opening ceremony takes place later today. Shane Lowry and Sarah Lavin will carry the flag for Ireland in Paris.
Here are some further details for the big event tonight.
When and Where is it?
- Date: July 26, 2024
- Location: Paris, France, specifically along the River Seine
Broadcast Details:
- Time: The ceremony starts at 6:30 PM Irish time (7:30 PM local time in Paris)
- Channel: RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player, with live coverage starting at 6 PM Irish time. BBC will also broadcast the ceremony, beginning at 5:45 PM Irish time .
- End Time: The ceremony is expected to last approximately 3 hours and 45 minutes, concluding around 10:15 PM Irish time .
Coverage Information:
- RTÉ will provide over 250 hours of live coverage across various platforms, including RTÉ2, RTÉ Player, RTÉ Radio 1, RTÉ 2FM, and RTÉ Raidió na Gaeltachta. There will be three daily TV programmes covering the events, as well as a new daily Olympics podcast .
