Irish & International Sports News, Fixtures & Results

Bach refused to be drawn on contingency plans or a prospective 'Plan B'

IOC 'working day and night to organise a safe Olympics'

International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach has dismissed renewed speculation surrounding the delayed Tokyo 2020 Games and insisted: "It's not about the 'whether' the Games takes place, it's about the 'how'."

Olympics • 27 Jan 21

Coe says "if any country can see this through, it is actually Japan"

Coe: Tokyo 2021 will go ahead - but will look different

World Athletics President Sebastian Coe is confident the Olympic Games will take place in 2021 but acknowledged that "they will look different."

Olympics • 19 Jan 21

Christian Coleman was among those sanctioned by the Athletics Integrity Unit

Reputation won't protect athletes from doping ban - Coe

World Athletics president Sebastian Coe said reputation will not protect the sport's high-profile athletes from doping raps and warned that it would be harder than ever to get away with taking banned substances at next year's Tokyo Olympics.

Athletics • 23 Dec 20

Joe Reynolds, Chairman of Horse Sport Ireland, welcomed the announcement

RTÉ to show Show Jumping Masters live on television

RTÉ has confirmed that it will screen the Horse Sport Ireland Show Jumping Masters live on television on Friday 18 December.

Equestrian • 11 Dec 20

Nicci Daly has expressed an interest in returning to a role in motorsport after her retirement from hockey

Daly confident Jacob influence will help Tokyo dreams

Nicci Daly says that she's looking forward to working with new Ireland hockey manager Lisa Jacob, who was appointed to the position earlier this week.

Hockey • 12 Nov 20

"If I want to win at the Olympics I need to be faster."

Puspure aiming to go 'much faster' in Olympic Games

Sanita Puspure tells RTÉ's Game On she'll have to go faster if she wants to claim Olympic gold in Tokyo next year.

Rowing • 05 Jan 21

Qatar will bid to host the 2032 Olympics

Qatar confirms plan to bid for 2032 Olympics

Qatar will seek to host the 2032 Olympic Games, joining a crowded field and raising questions about scorching summer temperatures and underwhelming attendances at past events.

Paris 2024 • 27 Jul 20

'Lidl Moves for 20x20' ambassador Ciara Mageean ran a personal best 4:00.15 for the 1500m at the 2019 World Championships

'If it was cancelled, I would be absolutely distraught'

Ciara Mageean has her sights set on making the 1500m final at the Tokyo Olympics and admits the prospect of the Games being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic is a concern.

Other sport • 16 Jul 20

Thomas Bach is adamant that the 2021 Olympics will go ahead

IOC "fully committed" to staging Olympics in 2021

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) remains fully committed to staging the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2021 and is considering multiple scenarios for them to take place safely, IOC president Thomas Bach said.

Paris 2024 • 15 Jul 20

"I'm not afraid to walk away from boxing because I know I'm not going to go back to the way I was"

Harrington: 'I started boxing to get me out of trouble'

Kellie Harrington shares a key life decision that saw her embrace the boxing family.

Boxing • 07 Jul 20

Murphy ultimately secured her nomination on the back of her performance at the ILCA Laser Radial Women's World Championship in Melbourne earlier this year

2016 silver medallist Murphy secures Olympic nomination

Olympic silver medallist Annalise Murphy has been nominated by Sailing Ireland to compete in the Laser Radial for the 2021 Tokyo Games, with the nomination to be ratified by the Olympic Federation of Ireland.

Sailing • 11 Jun 20

A further delay beyond 2021 has been ruled out

Tokyo exec wants Olympic Games decision in spring

A Tokyo 2020 executive board member said on Friday organisers will need to monitor the novel coronavirus situation until next spring before deciding whether to go ahead with the Summer Olympics, Kyodo News reported.

Other sport • 05 Jun 20

The WADA study looked at five summer ans winter Games

Therapeutic Use Exemption and Olympic medals not linked

A World Anti-Doping Agency study has found no meaningful association between an athlete having a Therapeutic Use Exemption and winning an Olympic medal.

Paris 2024 • 21 May 20

'Most of my career, I thought I wasn't good enough'

Olympic sailing silver medallist Annalise Murphy has told RTÉ Sport that despite initial despondence at the Tokyo Games being postponed she has also discovered a new level of self-confidence.

Sailing • 18 May 20

McFerran is based in the Netherlands with SV Kampong

McFerran's Dutch courage boosted by Irish support

Hockey goalkeeper Ayeisha McFerran spoke to RTÉ Sport about being away from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, the support of her international team-mates and her Olympic dreams.

Hockey • 19 May 20

Five-time Olympic champion Missy Franklin was forced to retire in 2018 due to a shoulder injury

Decorated Olympic champion Franklin shares Games pain

American swimming superstar Missy Franklin shares the pain of those athletes who have been forced to put their dreams of glory at Tokyo 2020 on hold.

Paris 2024 • 05 May 20

Roche is aiming to appear at the next year's Olympic Games

Nicolas Roche still hopeful of some action in 2020

Nicolas Roche tells RTÉ Radio 1's Sunday Sport that the UCI, cycling's governing body, should do everything they can to have some competitions take place before the end of the year.

Cycling • 03 May 20

Now an anesthetist in Cork University Hospital, Paul Hession competed in the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games

Athlete's mindset keeping Dr Paul Hession on track

Working as an anaesthetist in Cork University Hospital during the Covid-19 pandemic might seem a world removed from life on the track, but not so according to Paul Hession.

Athletics • 02 May 20

Thomas Bach: "We have already extended all Olympic grants to the NOCs to cover their preparations for the Games"

Tokyo 2020 delay costing IOC 'several hundred million'

The postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Games means the International Olympic Committee will have to shoulder "several hundred million dollars" of costs, its president Thomas Bach has admitted.

Paris 2024 • 29 Apr 20

Eamonn Coghlan was a standout figure in world athletics for nearly a decade

Chairman Coghlan of the Boards

Eamonn Coghlan reflects on a golden age for athletics that saw many highlights and just a few disappointments for him in what was a stellar career.

Athletics • 25 Apr 20

The Skibbereen duo are keeping themselves occupied in a period where they would normally be in competition overseas

O'Donovan brothers relishing life in splendid isolation

A regular day of training for Paul and Gary O'Donovan it would seem is no different to the world of self-isolation in these challenging Covid-19 times.

Rowing • 23 Apr 20

Brendan Hyland is reaching the final stages of his career it seems, with Tokyo still on the horizon

Hyland willing to wait for longstanding Olympic dream

Brendan Hyland will wait however long it takes to fulfil his Olympic dream as his career in the pool takes one more twist.

Swimming • 17 Apr 20

The Olympic Games will now start on 23 July, 2021

World Athletics pauses Olympic qualification period

The Olympic qualification period has been halted, World Athletics has announced.

Athletics • 07 Apr 20

A view of the surrounds at the Maracana where the field hospital will be built

Maracana helping out as hospital for Covid-19 patients

Lorries and labourers moved into the famous Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday to start building a field hospital that will host patients carrying the coronavirus.

Soccer • 31 Mar 20

President of Tokyo 2020 Yoshiro Mori (L) and chief executive Toshiro Muto are not underestimating the magnitude of the task that they face

Olympic organisers believe they face a Herculean task

Tokyo 2020 organisers have admitted that the bill to reschedule the Olympic and Paralympic Games next year will "probably be massive", with one prominent figure describing their mission as "daunting".

Paris 2024 • 26 Mar 20