| Ireland at the Olympics | |
|---|---|
 | |
| IOC code | IRL |
| NOC | Olympic Federation of Ireland |
| Website | olympics |
| Medals Ranked 51st |
|
| Summer appearances | |
| Winter appearances | |
| Other related appearances | |
 Great Britain (1896–1920) | |
A team representingIreland as an independent state orpolity has competed at theSummer Olympic Games since1924, and at theWinter Olympic Games since1992.
TheNational Olympic Committee in Ireland has been known by three titles. It was originally called the Irish Olympic Council (IOC) from 1920 to 1952 (not to be confused with theInternational Olympic Committee, also abbreviated as IOC). It became the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) from 1952 to 2018. It then became theOlympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) in 2018.
The Irish Olympic Council was formed in 1922[nb 1] during theprovisional administration prior to the formal establishment of theIrish Free State. The Irish Olympic Council (IOC) affiliated to theInternational Olympic Committee (also "IOC") in time for theParis games in 1924.[nb 1]
For many sports, the respective national federation represents the entireisland of Ireland, which comprises both theRepublic of Ireland (originally a dominion with the title the Irish Free State) andNorthern Ireland (which following the founding of theIrish Free State as an independent dominion remained part of the United Kingdom). Northern Ireland-born athletes are entitled to represent either Ireland or Great Britain and Northern Ireland, as they are automatically entitled to the citizenship of both countries. As a result, athletes will tend to represent the National Olympic Committee of the nation to which their sport federation is aligned. The smaller competition pool will also see athletes choose to represent Ireland to ensure greater Olympic qualification chances, although athletes may also move in the opposite direction to increase medal chances, especially in team events. A number of athletes have represented both nations.
In addition, Ireland has regularly been represented by members of theIrish diaspora who are explicitly recognised in the nation's constitution, and who often have citizenship rights through family heritage, i.e. a parent or grandparent with Irish citizenship.[1]
From thefirst modern-era games in 1896 until the1920 games, Ireland was represented by theGreat Britain and Ireland team. In early editions of the Games, 'Ireland' as a team was entered in certain events as one of several Great Britain and Ireland entries that mirrored the Home Nations. Ireland was one of the nations that boycotted neither the1980 Moscow nor the1984 Los Angeles Games. Ireland did, however, boycott the1936 Berlin Games in protest at a 1935 IOC ruling that restricted the Irish Olympic Council's jurisdiction from the entire island to the territory of theIrish Free State.[2]
The2024 Summer Olympics was the most successful Olympics in the history of the nation, with Ireland breaking their previous record medal haul of 6 atLondon 2012 with a total of 7 medals won. The team also surpassed theAtlanta 1996 record of 3 Olympics golds at a Games, including both a first Olympic medal and Olympic gold medal ingymnastics as well as a first ever gold in men'sswimming. The 2024 Paris Games also marked 100 years since Ireland's first appearance at the Summer Games.
Irish universities have sent many graduates to the Olympics.Trinity College Dublin has produced 63 Olympians, as of 2023.[3]
The highest number of golds achieved in a particular Olympic games is four, which was achieved atParis 2024 with gold medals inswimming,rowing,gymnastics andboxing.
Boxing is Ireland's most successful sport at the Games, accounting for more than 50% of the medals won.Athletics,boxing andswimming have provided the most gold medals, with four.
Many of the sports most popular in Ireland are either not Olympic sports (such asGaelic games,horse racing) or have only become so relative recently (golf,rugby sevens), and this is reflected in a somewhat moderate overall record for Ireland at the Games outside of boxing. Notwithstanding this, however, Ireland has been a consistent and enthusiastic Olympic nation, and its medalists are widely published and celebrated, while Olympic qualification is highly valued even without medal success.
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1896–1920 | as part of Great Britain (GBR) | |||||
 1924 Paris[Art] | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1928 Amsterdam | 29 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 |
 1932 Los Angeles | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
 1936 Berlin | did not participate | |||||
| 1948 London[Art] | 72 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1952 Helsinki | 19 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 34 |
 1956 Melbourne | 18 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 5 | 21 |
 1960 Rome | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1964 Tokyo | 25 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 35 |
 1968 Mexico City | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1972 Munich | 59 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1976 Montreal | 44 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1980 Moscow | 47 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 31 |
| 1984 Los Angeles | 42 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 33 |
 1988 Seoul | 61 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1992 Barcelona | 58 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 32 |
| 1996 Atlanta | 78 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 28 |
| 2000 Sydney | 64 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 64 |
 2004 Athens | 46 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2008 Beijing | 54 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 61 |
| 2012 London | 66 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 41 |
 2016 Rio de Janeiro | 77 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 62 |
| 2020 Tokyo | 116 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 39 |
 2024 Paris | 134 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 19 |
| 2028 Los Angeles | future event | |||||
| 2032 Brisbane | ||||||
| Total (23/30) | 1,246 | 15 | 10 | 17 | 42 | 50 |
| Games | Athletes | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 Albertville | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 1994 Lillehammer | did not participate | |||||
| 1998 Nagano | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2002 Salt Lake City | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2006 Turin | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2010 Vancouver | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
 2014 Sochi | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2018 Pyeongchang | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2022 Beijing | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| 2026 Milano Cortina | future event | |||||
| 2030 French Alps | ||||||
| 2034 Salt Lake City | ||||||
| Total (8/24) | 42 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | – |
| Sport | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Boxing | 4 | 5 | 10 | 19 |
 Athletics | 4 | 2 | 1 | 7 |
 Swimming | 4 | 0 | 3 | 7 |
 Rowing | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
 Gymnastics | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
 Sailing | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
 Equestrian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Totals (7 entries) | 15 | 10 | 17 | 42 |
As of the2022 Beijing Games, Ireland's best result at the Winter Games has been fourth, byClifton Wrottesley in theMen's Skeleton at the 2002 Games inSalt Lake City.
The following tables include medals won by athletes on OFI teams. All medals have been won at Summer Games. Ireland's best result at the Winter Games has been fourth, byClifton Wrottesley in theMen's Skeleton at the 2002 Games inSalt Lake City.
Some athletes have won medals representing other countries, most obviouslyGreat Britain, which are not included on these tables, and emigrant Irish throwing athletes were particularly successful competing for the United States in early Games. The most notable of the Irish athletes for other nations, however, isTom Kiely, who won gold in the all-around athletics event in 1904, having refused offers of a free trip and reimbursement of travel expenses from British and American officials, paid his own way, and was insistent that he representedIreland, even so far as attempting to replace theUnion flag with its Irish equivalent at the medal ceremony. The disputed nationality of Kiely has historic statistical importance in both British Olympicism, and Olympicism generally, because it is his gold medal that allows Great Britain to claim to be the only nation to have won at least one gold at every Summer Games.[7][8][9]
| Medal | Name | Games | Sport | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Gold | Pat O'Callaghan | 1928 Amsterdam | Athletics | Men's hammer throw |
| Gold | Bob Tisdall | 1932 Los Angeles | Athletics | Men's 400 metre hurdles |
| Gold | Pat O'Callaghan | Athletics | Men's hammer throw | |
 Silver | John McNally | 1952 Helsinki | Boxing | Men's bantamweight |
| Gold | Ronnie Delany | 1956 Melbourne | Athletics | Men's 1500 metres |
| Silver | Fred Tiedt | Boxing | Men's welterweight | |
 Bronze | John Caldwell | Boxing | Men's flyweight | |
| Bronze | Freddie Gilroy | Boxing | Men's bantamweight | |
| Bronze | Anthony Byrne | Boxing | Men's lightweight | |
| Bronze | Jim McCourt | 1964 Tokyo | Boxing | Men's lightweight |
| Bronze | Hugh Russell | 1980 Moscow | Boxing | Men's flyweight |
| Silver | David Wilkins James Wilkinson | Sailing | Flying Dutchman class | |
| Silver | John Treacy | 1984 Los Angeles | Athletics | Men's marathon |
| Gold | Michael Carruth | 1992 Barcelona | Boxing | Men's welterweight |
| Silver | Wayne McCullough | Boxing | Men's bantamweight | |
| Gold | Michelle Smith | 1996 Atlanta | Swimming | Women's 400 metre freestyle |
| Gold | Swimming | Women's 200 metre individual medley | ||
| Gold | Swimming | Women's 400 metre individual medley | ||
| Bronze | Swimming | Women's 200 metre butterfly | ||
| Silver | Sonia O'Sullivan | 2000 Sydney | Athletics | Women's 5000 metres |
| Silver | Kenny Egan | 2008 Beijing | Boxing | Men's Light Heavyweight |
| Bronze | Paddy Barnes | Boxing | Men's Light flyweight | |
| Bronze | Darren Sutherland | Boxing | Men's Middleweight | |
| Gold | Katie Taylor | 2012 London | Boxing | Women's lightweight |
| Silver | John Joe Nevin | Boxing | Men's Bantamweight | |
| Bronze | Paddy Barnes | Boxing | Men's Light flyweight | |
| Bronze | Michael Conlan | Boxing | Men's flyweight | |
| Bronze | Cian O'Connor | Equestrian | Individual Showjumping | |
| Bronze | Robert Heffernan | Athletics | Men's 50 kilometres walk | |
| Silver | Gary O'Donovan Paul O'Donovan | 2016 Rio de Janeiro | Rowing | Men's lightweight double sculls |
| Silver | Annalise Murphy | Sailing | Women's Laser Radial | |
| Gold | Fintan McCarthy Paul O'Donovan | 2020 Tokyo | Rowing | Men's lightweight double sculls |
| Gold | Kellie Harrington | Boxing | Women's lightweight | |
| Bronze | Aidan Walsh | Boxing | Men's welterweight | |
| Bronze | Aifric Keogh Eimear Lambe Fiona Murtagh Emily Hegarty | Rowing | Women's coxless four | |
| Gold | Fintan McCarthy Paul O'Donovan | 2024 Paris | Rowing | Men's lightweight double sculls |
| Gold | Rhys McClenaghan | Gymnastics | Pommel Horse | |
| Gold | Daniel Wiffen | Swimming | Men's 800 metre freestyle | |
| Gold | Kellie Harrington | Boxing | Women's 60 kg | |
| Bronze | Daniel Wiffen | Swimming | Men's 1500 metre freestyle | |
| Bronze | Daire Lynch Philip Doyle | Rowing | Men's double sculls | |
| Bronze | Mona McSharry | Swimming | Women's 100 metre breaststroke |
Awarded:
Stripped:
Banned:
Art competitions were held from1912 to1948. Irish entries first appeared in1924, when they won two medals; a third was won in the 1948 competition.[5][nb 2]
| Medal | Name | Games | Event | Piece |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver | Jack Butler Yeats | 1924 Paris | Mixed Painting | Natation[15] ("Swimming"; now on display in theNational Gallery of Ireland with the titleTheLiffey Swim[16]) |
| Bronze | Oliver St. John Gogarty | 1924 Paris | Mixed Literature | Ode pour les Jeux de Tailteann[15] (Tailteann Ode, which had won the prize for poetry at the revivedTailteann Games earlier that year[17]) Gogarty was awarded a bronze medal despite two silver medals being awarded in the category.[18] |
| Bronze | Letitia Marion Hamilton | 1948 London | Paintings | Meath HuntPoint-to-Point Races[19] (a painting in 2012 "believed to be somewhere in the United States"[20]) |
Prior to 1922, Ireland was part of theUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland: thus, competitors at earlier Games who were born and living in Ireland are counted as British in Olympic statistics. At early Olympics,Irish-born athletes also won numerous medals for theUnited States andCanada, notably the "Irish Whales" inthrowing events.
TheIrish Amateur Athletic Association was invited to the inauguralInternational Olympic Committee meeting in 1894, and may have been invited to the 1896 games: it has also been claimed theGaelic Athletic Association was invited.[21] In the event, neither participated.[21]
Prior to the1906 Intercalated Games,National Olympic Committees (NOCs) were generally non-existent, and athletes could enter the Olympics individually.John Pius Boland, who won gold in two tennis events in 1896, is now listed as "IRL/GBR".[nb 1][22] Boland's daughter later claimed that he had objected when the Union Jack was raised to mark his first triumph, vehemently pointing out that Ireland had a flag of its own; following this, the organisers apologised and agreed to prepare an Irish flag.[23] While Kevin MacCarthy is sceptical of this story, by 1906, Boland was crediting his medals to Ireland.[23]
Tom Kiely, who wonthe "all-around" athletics competition at the1904 Olympics in St Louis is also listed as competing for Great Britain.[24] He had raised funds in countiesTipperary andWaterford to travel independently and compete for Ireland.[1] American statisticianFrank Zarnowski does not regard the 1904 event as part of the Olympic competition, and also doubts the story that Kiely had refused offers by both the EnglishAmateur Athletic Association (AAA) and theNew York Athletic Club to pay his fare and cover his travel expenses so he could compete for them.[1][25] British historian Peter Lovesey disagrees with Zarnowski.[26]
TheBritish Olympic Association (BOA) was formed in 1905, and Irish athletes were accredited to the BOA team from the 1906 Games onwards. WhereasPierre de Coubertin had recognised teams fromBohemia andFinland separately from their respective imperial powers,Austria andRussia, he was unwilling to make any similar distinction for Ireland, either because it lacked aNational Olympic Committee, or for fear of offending Britain.[27]
At the 1906 Games, bothPeter O'Connor andCon Leahy objected when the British flag was raised at their victory ceremony, and O'Connor raised a green Irish flag in defiance of the organisers.[nb 1][28]
At the1908 Games inLondon, there were multiple BOA entries in several team events, including two representing Ireland. Inthe hockey tournament,the Irish team finished second, behindEngland and ahead ofScotland andWales. The Irishpolo team also finished joint second inthe three-team tournament, despite losing to one of two English teams in its only match.
At the 1912 Olympics, and despite objections from other countries, the BOA entered three teams inthe cycling events, one from each of the separate English, Scottish and Irish governing bodies for the sport.[29] The Irish team came 11th inthe team time trial.[29] The organisers had proposed a similar division in thefootball tournament, but the BOA declined.[30]
A 1913 list of 35 countries to be invited to the1916 Olympics included Ireland separately from Great Britain; similarly, Finland and Hungary were to be separate from Russia and Austria, although Bohemia was not listed.[31] A newspaper report of the 1914 Olympic Congress says it endorsed a controversialGerman Olympic Committee proposal that "now—contrary to the hitherto existing practice—only political nations may participate as teams in the Olympic Games", with the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" among these "political nations".[32] However, the games were cancelled due to theFirst World War.
After the war,John J. Keane attempted to unite various sports associations under an Irish Olympic Committee.[33] Many sports had rival bodies, oneUnionist and affiliated to a United Kingdom parent, the otherRepublican and opposed to any link withGreat Britain.[citation needed] Keane proposed that a separate Irish delegation, marching under theUnion Flag, should participate at the1920 Summer Olympics inAntwerp.[33] At the time theIrish War of Independence was under way, and the IOC rejected Keane's proposal, pending the settlement of the underlying political situation.[33]
The OFI has always used the name "Ireland", and has claimed to represent the entireisland of Ireland, even thoughNorthern Ireland remains part of theUnited Kingdom.[34] These points have been contentious, particularly from the 1930s to the 1950s inathletics, and until the 1970s incycling.[1]
Many sports were codified and organised for the first time in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, and many of them were first done so within the then United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Early international sport was often played between representative teams of theconstituent countries of the United Kingdom, and sports organised themselves with separate bodies for those countries. The governing bodies of many sports in the island of Ireland had been established decades prior tothe 1922 partition, and most have remained as single all-island bodies since then with the singular exception of football.
Recognition of theIrish border was politically contentious and unpopular withIrish nationalists. TheNational Athletic and Cycling Association (Ireland), or NACA(I), was formed in 1922 by the merger of rival all-island associations, and affiliated to both theInternational Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) andUnion Cycliste Internationale (UCI).[1] When Northern Ireland athletes were selected for the1928 games, the possibility was raised of using an "all-Ireland banner" as the team flag, rather than theIrish tricolour whichunionists disavowed.[36] J. J. Keane stated that it was too late to change the flag registered with the IOC, but was hopeful that thecoat of arms of Ireland would be adopted afterwards.[35] No such change was ever made, although Keane reported in 1930 that a council subcommittee had consulted the member federations and noted "a general desire towards agreement on a flag which would be acceptable to all parts of Ireland being substituted for that at present recognised ... by the International Olympic Committee [i.e. the tricolour]".[37]
In 1925, some Northern Ireland athletics clubs left NACA(I) and in 1930 formed the Northern Ireland Amateur Athletics Association, which later formed theBritish Athletic Federation (BAF) with the English and Scottish Amateur Athletics Associations.[1] The BAF then replaced the (English) AAA as Britain's member of the IAAF, and moved that all members should be delimited by political boundaries.[1] This was not agreed in time for the1932 Summer Olympics —at which two NACA(I) athletes won gold medals for Ireland— but was agreed at the IAAF's 1934 congress.[1] The NACA(I) refused to comply and was suspended in 1935, thus missing the1936 Berlin Olympics.[1] The OCI decided to boycott the Games completely in protest.[1][38] The UCI likewise suspended the NACA(I) for refusing to confine itself to the Irish Free State. The athletics and cycling wings of the NACA(I) split into two all-island bodies, and separate Irish Free State bodies split from each and secured affiliation to the IAAF and UCI. These splits were not fully resolved until the 1990s. The "partitionist" Amateur Athletic Union of Éire (AAUE) affiliated to the IAAF, but the all-Ireland NACA(I) remained affiliated to the OCI. In 1939, IOC PresidentHenri de Baillet-Latour said that, on the precedent of "Bohemia and Finland in the old days", an all-island "Ireland" team would be permitted, but only if the BOA and British government agreed.[39]
At the1948 Summer Olympics in London,the athletics events saw two rival Ireland squads: one nominated by the NACA(I) and approved by the OCI, the other nominated by the AAUE and approved by the IAAF.[40] Neither had the complete set of authorisations technically required for entry; just before the opening ceremony, the IOC and London organising committee jointly decided to disallow the NACA/OCI athletes and permit those from the AAUE/IAAF,[40] who were shunned by the rest of the1948 Ireland delegation.[1] NACA(I) nominees were similarly refused entry inthe cycling events.[41] Inthe swimming events, two swimmers from Northern Ireland were prevented from competing for Ireland despite havingIrish passports.[42] The entire swimming squad withdrew,[42][43] but the rest of the team competed.[44] This was a ruling byFINA (the swimming international federation) rather than the IOC; Northern Ireland athletes competed for Ireland inboxing,football, androwing.[1][41] Some athletes born in what had become the Republic of Ireland continued to compete for the British team.[1]
In 1952, new IOC PresidentAvery Brundage and new OCI delegateLord Killanin agreed that people from Northern Ireland would in the future be allowed to compete in any sport on the OCI team.[1][45] Brundage's predecessorSigfrid Edström had been sympathetic to the BOA.[46] InIrish nationality law, birth in Northern Ireland with a parent entitled to Irish citizenship grants a citizenship entitlement, similar to birth within the Republic of Ireland itself. In 1956, Killanin stated that both the OCI and the BOA "quite rightly" judged eligibility based on citizenship laws.[47] UCI and IAAF affiliated bodies were subsequently affiliated to the OCI, thus regularising the position of Irish competitors in those sports at the Olympics. Members of the all-Ireland National Cycling Association (NCA) withIrish Republican sympathies twice interfered with the Olympic road race in protest against the UCI-affiliated Irish Cycling Federation (ICF).In 1956, three members caused a 13-minute delay at the start.[48] Seven were arrestedin 1972; three had delayed the start[49] and the other four joined mid-race to ambush ICF competitor Noel Taggart, causing a minor pileup.[50] This happened days after themurders of Israeli athletes and at the height ofthe Troubles in Northern Ireland; the negative publicity helped precipitate an end to the NCA–ICF feud.[51]
TheIrish Hockey Union joined the OCI in 1949,[52] and theIreland team in non-Olympic competitions is selected on an all-island basis.[53] Until 1992 the IHU was not invited to theOlympic hockey tournament,[53] while Northern Irish hockey players likeStephen Martin played on theBritish Olympic men's team.[53]In 1992, invitation was replaced by an Olympic qualifying tournament, which the IHU/IHA has entered, despite some opposition from Northern Irish members.[53] Northern Irish players can play for Ireland or Britain, and can switch affiliation subject toInternational Hockey Federation clearance.[54] TheIrish Ladies Hockey Union has entered the Olympics since1984, andin 1980 suspended Northern Irish players who elected to play for theBritish women's team.[53] TheIreland women's hockey team finally qualified for the 2020 Summer Olympics; themen followed them in 2024.
Through to the 1960s, Ireland was representedin showjumping only by members of theIrish Army Equitation School, as the all-island civilian equestrian governing body was unwilling to compete underthe Republic's flag andanthem.[55]
In November 2003, the OCI discovered that theBritish Olympic Association (BOA) had been usingNorthern Ireland in the text of its "Team Members Agreement" document since the2002 Games.[56] Its objection was made public in January 2004. The BOA responded that "Unbeknown to each other both the OCI and BOA have constitutions approved by the IOC acknowledging territorial responsibility for Northern Ireland", the BOA constitution dating from 1981.[56] OCI presidentPat Hickey claimed the IOC's copy of the BOA constitution had "question marks" against mentions of Northern Ireland (andGibraltar);[57] an IOC spokesperson said "Through an error we have given both national Olympic committees rights over the same area."[58] The2012 Games host was to be selected in July 2004 and so, to prevent the dispute harming theLondon bid, its directorBarbara Cassani and theBlair government secured agreement by whichNorthern Ireland was removed from BOA documents and marketing materials.[59][45] Northern Ireland athletes retain the right to compete for Britain.[45]
In October 2004,Lord McIntosh of Haringey told theHouse of Lords:[60]
The longstanding practice relating to athletes in Northern Ireland who qualify for participation at the Olympic Games is that an athlete born in Northern Ireland who qualifies for participation at the Olympic Games and who holds aUK passport, may opt for selection by either Team GB or Ireland. The British Olympic Association (BOA) and the Olympic Council for Ireland (OCI) have recently confirmed this agreement.
By contrast, OCI officers Pat Hickey and Dermot Sherlock told anOireachtas committee in 2008:[61]
If someone is entitled to anIrish passport and is in possession of that passport, he or she can qualify to compete for Ireland as long as he or she has not competed for some other country in a previous Olympic Games. If he or she had competed for another country previously, we might allow him or her to compete for Ireland...The Irish passport is used as the measurement.[...]As people from Northern Ireland can choose whether to have an Irish or a British passport,or both, athletes from that part of the world can choose whether to compete for Ireland or Britain.
The Irish have a long established record of encouraging athletes with direct Irish heritage to represent the nation under 'grandparent' citizenship rules, and theIrish Diaspora, including the large number ofIrish heritage people in Great Britain, is explicitly recognised in the Irish constitution. The right of people form Northern Ireland to represent Ireland is however treated as a birthright, and such an athlete does not need to 'transfer' allegiance in the same way unless they have already represented another country.
Hickey also said:[61]
The council is proud that, like theIrish rugby team, it represents the island of Ireland. Ireland is unusual, in Olympic terms. The council is not the Olympic committee of the Republic of Ireland – it is the Olympic Council of Ireland. We have responsibility for the North of Ireland. We can thank my predecessor, Lord Killanin, for that.
In 2012,Stephen Martin, who has been an executive at both the OCI and the BOA, said "Team GB is a brand name. Just like Team Ireland. The British and Irish Olympic committees are seen by the International Olympic Committees as having joint rights over Northern Ireland."[62]
In 2009,rugby sevens was added to the Olympic programmestarting in 2016. WhileWorld Rugby states players from Northern Ireland are eligible to compete on theGreat Britain team,[63] theIrish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) director of rugby said in 2011 that "with the agreement of the [English, Scottish, and Welsh] unions" the "de facto position" was that Northern Ireland players must representan IRFU team.[64] In 2010The Daily Telegraph opined that the IRFU would be entitled to refuse to release players under contract to it, but not to prohibit Northern Ireland players based outside Ireland; but that the issue needed to be handled "with extreme sensitivity".[65] As of 2024[update], two Northern Ireland players (Zac Ward andAshleigh Orchard) have played for Ireland, none for Great Britain.
The OFI sees itself as representing the island rather than the state, and hence uses the name "Ireland".[1] It changed its own name from "Irish Olympic Council" to "Olympic Council of Ireland" in 1952 to reinforce this point.[1] (The change from "Council" to "Federation" was a 2018rebranding after the2016 ticketing controversy.[66]) At the time,Lord Killanin had become OCI President and delegate to the IOC, and was trying to reverse the IOC's policy of referring to the OCI's team by using an appellation of the state rather than the island. While the name "Ireland" had been unproblematic at the 1924 and 1928 Games, after 1930, the IOC sometimes used "Irish Free State". IOC PresidentHenri de Baillet-Latour supported the principle of delimitation by political borders.[1] At the 1932 Games,Eoin O'Duffy an IRA member, persuaded the Organisers to switch from "Irish Free State" to "Ireland" shortly before the Opening Ceremony.[1] After the1937 Constitution took effect, the IOC switched to "Eire"; this conformed to British practice, although within the state's name in English was "Ireland". At the opening ceremony of the1948 Summer Olympics, teams marched in alphabetical order of their country's name in English; the OCI team was told to move from the I's to the E's.[1] After theRepublic of Ireland Act came into effect in 1949, British policy was to use "Republic of Ireland" rather than "Eire". In 1951, the IOC made the same switch at its Vienna conference, after IOC memberLord Burghley had consulted the BritishForeign Office.[67] An OCI request to change this to "Ireland" was rejected in 1952,[68] In late 1955 Brundage ruled that "Ireland" would be the official IOC name, andLewis Luxton of theOrganising Committee for the1956 Melbourne Games said that "Ireland" would be used on scoreboards and programmes.[69][1][47] The OCI had argued that this was the name in the state's own Constitution, and that all the OCI's affiliated sports except theFootball Association of Ireland were all-island bodies.[47] However, in the buildup to the Games, Lord Burghley (now Marquess of Exeter) protested at the IOC decision and insisted thatthe athletics events would use the IAAF name of "Eire".[70] On the first day of athletics, "Ireland" (code "IRE") was used, but from the second day it changed to "Eire"/"EIR".[71]
Ireland was given formal recognition as an independent nation in the Olympic Movement at the IOC session in Paris in 1924 and it was at the Paris Games that Ireland made its first appearance in an Olympic Games as an independent nation., Olympic Council of Ireland
The IAAF will begin the process of reallocating two World Championship gold medals as well as Olympic medals following the CAS verdict. The IOC will formally redistribute the Olympic medals.
