OlympicIRL

The stuff of dreams!

Wooooooooaaaahhhhh!!!!

49 days to go Paris 2024 Olympic Countdown Clock -----------------50------------------------------------ 25------------------------------------ 02----- --------49---------------48------------------27---------------24-------------------04--------------01- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --47--------------------------46-------29---------------------------22-------06--------------------------03 -------------------------------------36-------------------------------------- 16------------------------------- --45-------------------38--43----- 30--33---------------18--21-------08-13------------------ -05 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------44--------40---41----------------28--31-------20--23----------------10-11----- ---07--- -----------------42------------------------------------- 26------------------------------------- 09------------- ----------------------39--------------------------32-------19-------------------------- 12----------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------37----------------34-------------------17---------------14------------- ------------------------------------ -35-------------------------------------- 15---------------

And so we begin our countdown, the first colour is added to the clock Paris 2024 Olympic Countdown Clock -----------------50------------------------------------ 25------------------------------------ 02----- --------49---------------48------------------27---------------24-------------------04--------------01- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --47--------------------------46-------29---------------------------22-------06--------------------------03 -------------------------------------36-------------------------------------- 16------------------------------- --45-------------------38--43----- 30--33---------------18--21-------08-13------------------ -05 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------44--------40---41----------------28--31-------20--23----------------10-11----- ---07--- -----------------42------------------------------------- 26------------------------------------- 09------------- ----------------------39--------------------------32-------19-------------------------- 12----------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------37----------------34-------------------17---------------14------------- ------------------------------------ -35-------------------------------------- 15---------------

Cool, never knew this rule existed. That would be fun to see him give it a try, could be a John Treacy moment all over again

How would that even be possible? I assume you would have to qualify for the open water specifically? I would say it’s more likely post Olympics that he could give it a try.

This is what I wanted to know as well. Anyone have any idea what’s happening with this or what the process is?

It's worth 1314 ranking points (1194 result score + 120 placing score for a Category A event). That will bring him up to provisionally 38th in the latest Road to Paris Olympic rankings (however that doesn't take into account results other athletes may have achieved this week too. However it will certainly bring him inside the top 45 quota places now and he should improve that further in his next outings. Barring injury he looks on course to qualify.

Yep, just copped that now as well.... he was reported as out injured but no longer the case. Still, I would bet on us qualifying another 2 in the 1500m alongside Coscoran.

Great morning for Ireland confirming 4 more qualifiers in boxing. That means we now have 116 qualified athletes, which equals our record of 116 from the previous Olympics in Tokyo. We still have others to add (4 in golf), possibly in the range of 5-8 in athletics, maybe another couple in swimming via OCT invites and I think our diver Jake Passmore still has a chance to make it in diving. IRELAND 116 Total Athletes 57 Men 52 Women 64 Total Events 14 Total Sports

Athletics possible qualifiers: Men's 800m: Mark English - he is the highest ranked athlete without the automatic time and occupies 36th position out of a possible 48 quotas. He looks totally safe. Men's 1500m: We have a great chance of adding one or two alongside auto qualified Andrew Coscoran but it's going to go down to the wire! Cathal Doyle currently occupies a quota position (44/45) Luke McCann and Nick Griggs are both currently just on the outside of the quota places 47th and 48th. But as always there are opportunities for reallocations. We know Dutch athlete Niels Laros is out injured for the Games. Also the Irish athletes have every chance of climbing inside the quota places on their own merit. I would reckon at least one of Doyle, McCann or Griggs makes it and would put a reasonable bet on 2 of those qualifying. Men's 400m Hurdles: Thomas Barr has it all to do to get inside the quotas places. However, a good European championships would give him every chance of making it. He is currently ranked 59th out of a total of 40 possible quotas. He has just got a ranking for the first time last week and has a lot of scope to rocket up the ranks with some low scores to discount. I think a good European champs and he will make it (with maybe another one or two decent times at other meets). A bad Euros result and I don't think he makes it. He may still be part of the mixed relay team though that will be competitive with only 2 invites on the men's side. Men's Long Jump: Reece Ademola is on the bubble, currently occupying a quota spot (31/32). However, he is out injured currently and I think he needs another couple of good performances to make the team. I am going to predict he won't make it unfortunately. Men's Shot Put: Eric Favors is currently relatively comfortably in a quota spot (26/32). I think even if he doesn't further improve his points ranking, he is likely to still hang on. Women's 200m: Phil Healy is getting back to form this year but is still quite a way outside the quotas places (ranked 60th from a total quota of 48). However, I do see her improving further but would still guess she will end up below the line. Phil is likely to be part of the women's 4x400m relay squad anyway so this won't affect our numbers. Women's 400m: Sophie Becker is on track to earn an individual quota as she has rocked up the rankings this year and is now sitting in 42/48 in the rankings. I would bet on Sophie improving her ranking further and cementing her place. Again, Becker would likely be part of our relay squads so this won't affect our numbers. Women's 800m: Louise Shanahan has slipped outside of the quota places after a bad season thus far. She is currently just outside the cut-off (51st from 48 total qualifiers). On current form she is likely to slip further back and miss out on qualifying. Hoping she can turn things around in the next weeks. Women's 5000m: Roisin Flangan is currently outside of the quota places at 52nd place in the rankings (42 quotas). She has the opportunity to improve a few places but I would hazzard a guess that she falls short. Women's Hammer: Nicola Tuthill is improving week-on-week and she has now leapt up to 34th in the rankings, just 2 places shy of the 32 quota places. I think Nicola will improve more and I would bet she just scrapes into the quota places at the close of the rankings! Women's Heptathlon: Kate O'Connor is in free-fall in the rankings and is currently perilously placed 23/24 in the race to Paris. She won't be at the Europeans and without one more really good result in heptathlon then I don't she has a chance in hell in making the Olympics which would be devastating given it would be almost a carbon-copy of her Tokyo qualification disaster. I fear she must be struggling with injuries this season and I would have to say I don't see her making the Games There are others still with outside chances (for example, Dave Kenny in men's 20km walk, Michele Finn in the women's 3000m steeplechase and Elizabeth Ndudi in the women's long jump) but I think they have too much to do in too short a period. Elizabeth Ndudi would be a sort of wildcard as she has the ability to make a big improvement and hit an auto Q whereas the others I can't see it happening. Though that even seems too much to hope for with Ndudi this early in her career. My prediction for who will qualify: Mark English (Men's 800m) Two from Luke McCann, Cathal Doyle and Nick Griggs in the men's 1500m (in that order as well) Eric Favors (Men's Shot Put) Sophie Becker (Women's 400m) Nicola Tuthill (Women's Hammer) I'm 50:50 on Thomas Barr. Let's be optimistic and assume he makes it. Discounting the fact Becker will likely be part of the relay squad, that gives us around 6 new qualifiers.

Fantastic morning for us, great to get 10(!!) boxers through and filling the entire quota of women's events is quite a landmark achievement for Ireland. Right, let's make a list of who is left across all sports who might yet qualify. We have hit 116 qualifers now, likely we will add another few between athletics and possibly swimming OCT invites. What about Jake Passmore in diving, how are his chances?

Aidan Walsh has become Ireland’s 10th boxer qualified for the Olympics He joins his sister Michaela Walsh who both qualify for back-to-back Olympics

Spain have some very good boxers at the moment, always tricky opponents.

Yay Daina!! Ireland will have a full team of boxers in women's events in Paris!

I see Kate O'Connor won't go to the Europeans. She is now 23rd out of 24 possible quotas for the Olympics. This seems like 2021 all over again. I hope she is fit and she is planning on doing a heptathlon before the cut-off because she needs another good heptathlon score to have any chance of keeping her quota place. Sadly she has struggled for any kind of consistency of late.

I miss the heats of the 10,000m in athletics as well, not that they added value but I want the nostalgia and the feeling that every event had so many participants they needed heats

I’d also like to see the track cycling programme go back to how it was in the early 2000s with lots of fun medal events like the points race.

I’d love to see the Olympic champion in every event automatically get an invite to come back to the next Games to defend their title if they wish. Also would be cool if Olympic champions got to wear a different vest which they can wear throughout the cycle. Making the Olympics a 3 week event would also be great

It's that time again! As we approach the 50 days to go milestone until the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad in Paris, we will reveal our official Olympic Countdown Clock The clock will help us countdown the days until the Opening Ceremony. How does it work? The Olympic Countdown Clock consists of the numbers 1-50 arranged so that they make up the iconic Olympic rings. As each day passes, another piece of the Olympic ring is coloured-in and as we edge closer to the Olympics the rings begin to take shape. At the one day to go milestone, the 5 coloured rings will be depicted in their complete form. Paris 2024 Olympic Countdown Clock -----------------50------------------------------------ 25------------------------------------ 02----- --------49---------------48------------------27---------------24-------------------04--------------01- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --47--------------------------46-------29---------------------------22-------06--------------------------03 -------------------------------------36-------------------------------------- 16------------------------------- --45-------------------38--43----- 30--33---------------18--21-------08-13------------------ 05 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --------44--------40---41----------------28--31-------20--23----------------10-11----- ---07--- -----------------42------------------------------------- 26------------------------------------- 09------------- ----------------------39--------------------------32-------19-------------------------- 12----------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------37----------------34-------------------17---------------14------------- ------------------------------------ -35-------------------------------------- 15---------------

Here is what the Irish Prime Minister said today. Israel calling the slaughter of children a mistake is an insult and no one in their right mind believes it anyway.

If this isn’t genocide then what is it. Disgusting

I do understand there are similarities to last year which does provide some solace but at the same time this is an Olympic year. The competition is always multiple times steeper in an Olympic year so being able to turn things around is a much harder ask this year. I think the only boat I have confidence in turning around their season is McCarthy and O’Donovan. I think they’ll be much quicker and fitter come the Olympics. None of the women’s boats are particularly impressing me right now but I don’t want to sound too harsh, it’s good that we are in the mix for A finals but I think we will be just outside the medals come Paris. I would absolutely love to be wrong and I may very well be as I have no inside knowledge.

I think today's rowing results at the World Cup highlight what we have been fearing, our rowing teams have a lot of work to do to be ready for the Olympics. There are similarities to last year when our teams didn't fire for the Europeans but were on top form at the World Championships but I am definitely more worried this time.

So many great match ups coming up in Paris. Just look at both men ‘s and women’s 400 hurdles too with Warholm v Benjamin v McMaster v Dos Santos on the men’s side and Bol v McLaughlin on the women’s side. Can’t wait