dodge

It's very odd. Kurt Walker for Ireland has been announced by the team (and is already in Tokyo)

Dylan van Barle is the latest Ineos leader

But there is no international Northern Ireland athletics team (save for the commonwealth games, which is clearly a unique event) - that was my only point. Individuals can choose GBR or IRL. In athletics, the majority choose to represent IRL (for a variety of reasons, including it being easier to get into international squads) If you look at the bottom of the NIA web page you'll see both British Athletics and Athletics Ireland linked. For obvious political reasons, the "Northern Ireland and Ulster" championships are deliberately named. The last story posted is about athletes selected for the IRL under 23 team https://athleticsni.org/ Again, it's a complex issue and thankfully in Athletics, the athletes can choose to represent either as they wish

This is an incredible simplistic post on a very complex issue By law, and as voted by referendum in Northern Ireland with the Good Friday agreement, people born in Northern Ireland are entitled to citizenship of both countries All sports bar football are played on all-island basis. Hockey and rugby in Northern Ireland are predominantly played by people who would call themselves British and the national associations there use a compromise flag and anthem to appease them (not in a patronising way, they actively wanted to encourage inclusion). Hockey is an interesting case as Ireland could not even enter Olympic qualifying until 1992 as the Ulster branch of Hockey Ireland objected to it as they wished to align themselves with GB for Olympic purposes (with several winning gold in 1988). This doesn’t apply at the Olympics. Obviously for individuals it is easier for them to choose federations As there is no physical border, the nearest club/training facility for athletes living near the border may be on the other side of that borderline. Your line about it being known but not publicised is odd because thousands do it for work reasons and no one cares. As mentioned above Rhys McClenaghan won gold in gymnastics at the commonwealth games and he lives and trains in Dublin at the Irish national sports centre (and lives in Bangor, NI when not training). To summarise, people born in Northern Ireland are free to choose British or Irish citizenship and individual athletes from NI are free to represent GBR or IRL in international competition Many others will have family ties in either country (particularly as Ireland has a long history of emigration to GB) and athletes born in either country but with parents or grandparents from the other can represent them The wider issue of why someone from NI would choose to represent one over the other is a different, more complex issue and one that I’m afraid you’ll have to research yourself

We’ll they’ve already mistakenly invited two relay teams so they’re on form already this year

The only doubt is whether it’ll be the Eurosport player or the Discovery Plus app

Delighted for him. Lovely to see him break it in Oslo

This is correct. Wind assisted times don’t count for achieving the qualifying standards (similarly to the way they don’t count for world records) Wind assisted times do count towards the rankings but points are deducted for the wind For example Phil Healy of Ireland should have earned 1153 points for her 22.83 but she got 1140 as the wind was 2.2

Haven’t a clue. Neither relay team mentioned in the swim Ireland press release They haven’t mentioned the divers yet either Presumably they’re reticent to announce anything now

Athletics Ireland have nominated Leon Reid too. That needs to be confirmed too Then we're just waiting on relay teams, the rugby team and the shooter to be named Oh and any last minute miracle reallocations

I really think the lack of a discard score is going to heavily influence the showjumping and eventing team medals

Would it surprise anyone for Warholm to break the world record in his first 400m hurdles race of the year?

Don't know why they haven't announced the European boxing ranks. Kurt Walker has know for months and arrived in Tokyo today with the rest of the Irish boxing team

Unfortunately except for the 100m, the universal places counted against the limits in all other events So in men’s 800m there’s 44 qualified by time, 4 by univseral and none left for the rankings

I still think they’ll bring 4 for the relay with Healy additional. We’ll find out soon though

I think this is the key. The rankings only came into play this year because of a very specific issue if the qualifying events went ahead, this doesn’t arise at all

They steal them from airplanes

Rankings updated. add 11 quotas Though one may not be selected

A pretty highly respect Irish athletics journalist has published an article to say 10 Irish have been added. He’s usually spot on and would be well connected BUT He’s wrong. At least one name he’s mentioned won’t be going as she’s been overtaken (definitely). Hope she doesn’t see it and get her hopes up

You can see on the world athletics road to some athletes who have officlly withdrawn. including Ingebritsen in 5k

They've been released on a Wednesday every other week. Be strange to change that

Just be careful about this as the new rankings haven't been released yet. Presumably will be within an hour or so

It was stranger than usual though with so many places taken by World Championship and them world relay positions

Road race Nicholas Roche Dan Martin Eddie Dunbar Time Trial Nicholas Roche Pretty strong trio for Ireland on a hilly course

A lot of changes overnight with multiple withdrawals in nearly every event. New rankings will be fun later Looks like the relays are set. Qualifiers by time Women's 4 x 100m Women's 4 x 400m Men's 4 x 100m (all from 2019!) Men's 4 x 400m Mixed 4x400m