OlympicIRL

I see a very important debate ongoing but can we all focus on the important issue here.... will Ireland get a weightlifting quota? That is what I want to know

I would like to see Brendan Boyce (men's 50km walk) and Natalya Coyle (women's modern pentathlon) given the honour. Both are long serving members of the team and have been quietly doing us proud over many years. For Brendan it will probably be his final Olympics as the men's 50km walk won't be on the programme in Paris 2024 and for Natalya, this could be her last Olympics too... she has been a wonderful servant to the Irish team, finishing 9th at London 2012 and 6th in Rio 2016, a huge achievement for an Irish pentathlete. Those would be my picks if I could make the choice but it would also be cool to see brother-sister boxing duo Aidan and Michaela Walsh. What a moment it would be for them and their family. I also agree with @mpjmcevoy that it would also be lovely to see the captains of the women's hockey team and men's rugby sevens team jointly being given the honour.

31 days to go.... the yellow ring is complete! 2 down, 3 to go!!! 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---------------

The Irish equestrian team for the Olympics has been announced and the big news is that the dressage team has been withdrawn At most they can only hope to receive a reallocated quota in individual dressage but it's not certain either. We were never going to trouble the medals anyway but it's sad that our historic first team dressage qualification has come to this. However, the showjumping and eventing squads have been named....meet the team JUMPING: Bertram Allen with Pacino Amiro Darragh Kenny with VDL Cartello Cian O’Connor with Kilkenny Reserves: Shane Sweetnam with Karlin Van’t Vennehof Michael Duffy with Zilton SL Z ( EVENTING: Cathal Daniels with Rioghan Rua Sarah Ennis with Horseware Woodcourt Garrison Sam Watson with Tullabeg Flamenco Reserves: Austin O’Connor with Colorado Blue Joseph Murphy with Cesar V

The Irish women's hockey team for the Olympics was announced today: https://olympics.ie/hockey-team-announcement/ 1 Ayeisha McFerran (GK) 2 Chloe Watkins 3 Hannah Matthews 4 Sarah Torrans 5 Nicci Daly 6 Roisin Upton 7 Hannah McLoughlin 8 Deirdre Duke 9 Katie Mullan 10 Shirley McCay 11 Sarah Hawkshaw 12 Lena Tice 13 Naomi Carroll 14 Lizzie Holden 15 Sarah McAuley 16 Anna O’Flanagan ---------------------------------- RESERVE - Michelle Carey RESERVE - Zara Malseed RESERVE GOALKEEPER Liz Murphy GK

The Irish women's hockey team for the Olympics has been announced: https://olympics.ie/hockey-team-announcement/

in particular Indonesian badminton players. My favourite being the wonderful Susi Sunsanti, first ever women’s singles champion at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics. and also but I support many Asian nations when they are underdogs. I don’t have particular favourites.

QUALIFICATION UPDATE Updated after the stunning qualification of the Men's Rugby Sevens team It's so exciting to have an Irish rugby team at the Olympics and wonderful to think we will have participation in 2 team sports now. It's also a welcome boost to the team numbers and we are up to 94 athlete quotas now, 17 sports and 50 events, with more to come. Ireland Tokyo 2020 Olympic Team IRELAND 94 athletes 45 men athletes 40 women athletes 50 events 17 sports NEW QUALIFIER: 12 RUGBY SEVENS NAME QUALIFICATION Men's Tournament TBD Final Olympic Qualifying Tournament, Winner 12 athletes The full qualification tracker can be found here:

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This is huge for Irish rugby sevens! Wow! I can’t believe it! We are going to the Olympics, yesssss

OH MY GOD!!!!!!

As for Ireland, traditionally our medal chances come in the second week of the Games as the boxing competition reaches the latter stages. However I think things will be a bit different this time and we might get our first medal in the first week. I always envy those nations that get on the medal board early after the first day or two. I don't think we will this time but at least we have some chances. Our first realistic medal chance? Our first realistic chances of a medal will come on Day 1 with men's road race cycling and men's -58kg taekwondo. The cycling is more of a long shot as I believe the course will suit climbers but if Dan Martin is in the race, we have some hope at least. Jack Woolley is probably the better chance on Day 1 in men's -58kg taekwondo but he will need the performance of his life to medal. But at least he is capable of getting on the podium if everything went perfectly. Our likely first medal of the Games? Our first medal however will probably come on Day 5 with 3 decent chances in rowing. The men's Double Sculls may get our first medal of the Games. They finished 2nd at the World Championships in 2019 and they also narrowly lost to the Chinese world champions at the final World Cup in Lucerne. After that we have the Women's Four and they have gone from strength to strength this year. They won silver at the European Championships, pushing the Dutch world silver medalists all the way and they also won the final qualification regatta. Hopefully they can make the final and from there anything is possible. Later that morning we will hopefully have Sanita Puspure contesting the women's single sculls final and again, another solid chance of a medal. And for good measure, the quarter-finals of the women's featherweight division in boxing will be contested on this day and hopefully Michaela Walsh could be fighting for a medal on this day. Is there a bumper day for your nation where you expect more than one or a few medals to come? Probably the aforementioned chances coming on Day 5. Our other medal chances are more spread out over different days. Is there a day when you expect to have not so much competitors from your nation competing or no chances for medals? There are some days where we have no real medal chances of course but in terms of having not a lot of competitors, probably in the final days, particularly if our boxers don't make it to the finals.

What about Matej Toth?

It's always interesting to look at the Olympic schedule and forecast when your nation's big medal chances will be. Will they be early in the program, in the final days, or will they be spread out over the course of the 16 days of medal winning action (the dream scenario )? Here is the link to the day-to-day schedule to help with your forecast: https://totallympics.com/qualification-tracker/tokyo2020/tokyo-2020-schedule_by_day/ When is the first realistic medal chance of the Games for your nation? When do you think your nation will get their first medal and in which event? Is there a bumper day for your nation where you expect more than one or a few medals to come? If so, what day? Is there a day when you expect to have not so much competitors from your nation competing or no chances for medals?

34 days to go.... 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---------------

No we withdrew due to Covid this year so we will be in the second league next year

To mark the 5 week to go countdown, some amazing music from the 1988 Seoul Olympics: John Williams - The Olympic Spirit: Whitney Houston - One Moment In Time:

5 weeks to go!!! 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---------------

I don’t think many nations who went to the World Cup events were playing games. There has been precious few opportunities to row competitively in recent times and I’d say most of the instances of lack of form or unexpected results would be down to nations / athletes being at different stages of their preparation and training and with Covid no doubt having obvious impacts on preparation.

So is that Ireland’s chance of a quota gone? Edit: actually if I remember we are not waiting on the unused Asian quota but the host reallocation and where the wildcards will be awarded.

@dcro So World Athletics emailed me back again to clarify that it is only in the 100m where they have no impact. They didn’t specify about the women’s 100m but I would imagine they do impact the quotas in that event as there is no prelim.

Yeah Sanita is no longer the favourite for gold in my opinion. A lot has happened since her world championship victories in 2018 and 2019 and the Russian looks like she is the top favourite based on recent results. I think Sanita will improve on her form by the time Tokyo comes round but if she can win a medal I will be very happy with that. Would be exciting to see her back to her best though. Let’s see what can happen

36 days to go.... 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---------------

Yes that’s how it worked in the previous world championships I believe where B standard athletes were in the prelim round along with the universality athletes. It would be interesting to know if it is only for the men’s 100m or if it is the case through all events that universality places don’t affect the quota. I am pretty sure it is only the men’s 100m this applies to as even the women’s 100m doesn’t have a prelim round and therefore probably has a fixed number of 56 quotas. I will email them back after work to see if I can get more clarification

Yes according to World Athletics that is the case for the men’s 100m. I do not know if that is the case for any other event. I would imagine some of those qualified by ranking-only in the men’s 100m will be entered in the preliminary round with the universality qualified athletes before we move to Round 1 proper with 56 athletes.