A team representing Ireland as an idenpendent state or polity has competed at the
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
since
1924, and at the
Winter Olympic Games
The Winter Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'hiver) is a major international multi-sport event held once every four years for sports practiced on snow and ice. The first Winter Olympic Games, the 1924 Winter Olympics, were he ...
since
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
. The
Olympic Federation of Ireland
The Olympic Federation of Ireland or OFI ( ga, Cónaidhm Oilimpeach na hÉireann) (called the Irish Olympic Council until 1952 and the Olympic Council of Ireland until 2018) is the National Olympic Committee (NOC) of the island of Ireland. At ...
(OFI) was formed in 1922
during the
provisional administration prior to the formal establishment of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...
. The OFI affiliated to the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC) in time for the Paris games.
For many sports, the respective national federation represents the entire
island of Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, which comprises both the
Republic of Ireland
Ireland ( ga, Éire ), also known as the Republic of Ireland (), is a country in north-western Europe consisting of 26 of the 32 counties of the island of Ireland. The capital and largest city is Dublin, on the eastern side of the island. A ...
(originally a dominion with the title the Irish Free State) and
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
(which following the founding of the
Irish Free State
The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...
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 his or sport federation is aligned. The smaller competition pool will also see athletes choose to represent Ireland to ensure greater Olympic qualification chances.
In addition, Ireland has regularly been represented by members of the
Irish diaspora
The Irish diaspora ( ga, Diaspóra na nGael) refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland.
The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner and Meeder, The ...
who are explicitly recognised in the nation's constitution, and who often have citizenship rights through family heritage e.g. a grandparent with Irish citizenship.
From the
first modern-era games in 1896 until the
1920 games, Ireland was represented by the
Great 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.
To date, the highest number of medals won at an Olympiad is six, at the 2012 London games. The highest number of golds is three, at the 1996 Atlanta games, when
Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith de Bruin (born 16 December 1969 in Rathcoole) is an Irish lawyer and retired Olympic swimmer. She won three gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley, 400 m freestyle and 20 ...
won all of Ireland's medals.
Boxing however is by far Ireland's most successful sport at the games, accounting for more than 50% of the medals won. Athletics has provided the most gold medals, with four.
Many of the sports most popular in Ireland are either not Olympic sports (such as
Gaelic games
Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...
,
horse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys (or sometimes driven without riders) over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic p ...
) or have only become so relative recently (
Golf
Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible.
Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...
,
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 medallists are widely publicised and celebrated, while Olympic qualification is highly valued even without medal success. Ireland notably was one of the nations that boycotted neither the
1980 Moscow or
1984 Los Angeles Games. Ireland did, however, choose not to participate in the
1936 Berlin Games in Nazi Germany.
Medal tables
Medals by Summer Games
Medals by Winter Games
As of 2021, Ireland's best result at the Winter Games has been fourth, by
Clifton Wrottesley
Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdon Wrottesley, 6th Baron Wrottesley (born 10 August 1968), is an Irish sportsman and British peer and Conservative member of the House of Lords.
Early life
Wrottesley was born at Hatch Street, Dublin, in 1968 to t ...
in the
Men's Skeleton at the 2002 Games in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
.
Medals by summer sport
List of medallists
The following tables include medals won by athletes on OCI teams. All medals have been won at Summer Games. Ireland's best result at the Winter Games has been fourth, by
Clifton Wrottesley
Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdon Wrottesley, 6th Baron Wrottesley (born 10 August 1968), is an Irish sportsman and British peer and Conservative member of the House of Lords.
Early life
Wrottesley was born at Hatch Street, Dublin, in 1968 to t ...
in the
Men's Skeleton at the 2002 Games in
Salt Lake City
Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the Capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Utah, most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the county seat, seat of Salt Lake County, Utah, Sal ...
. Some athletes have won medals representing other countries, which are not included on these tables.
Medallists
Doping
Awarded:
*
Robert Heffernan
Robert Heffernan (born 28 February 1978) is an Irish race walker.
Career
At the 2000 Olympics he finished in 28th place, and at the 2004 Olympics he was disqualified, both in the 20 km race walking discipline.
At the 2008 Olympic Games ...
finished fourth in the
2012 men's 50 kilometres walk won by
Sergey Kirdyapkin
Sergey Alexandrovich Kirdyapkin (russian: Серге́й Алекса́ндрович Кирдя́пкин; born 18 June 1980, in Insar, Mordovia) is a Russian race walker. He was stripped of the 2012 Olympic gold medal in the 50K walk, by d ...
. On 24 March 2016, the
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...
disqualified all Kirdyapkin's competitive results from 20 August 2009 to 15 October 2012. Heffernan was upgraded to third, and formally presented with a bronze medal in November 2016.
Stripped:
*
Cian O'Connor
Cian O'Connor (born 12 November 1979) is an Irish equestrian who competes in show jumping. He has competed at three Olympic Games, four World Championships and six European Championships, and has attained 133 senior caps for his country. He won ...
received the gold medal in the
2004 individual showjumping, but was formally stripped of it in July 2005 because his horse failed the post-event doping test.
Banned but not stripped:
*
Michelle Smith
Michelle Smith de Bruin (born 16 December 1969 in Rathcoole) is an Irish lawyer and retired Olympic swimmer. She won three gold medals at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, for the 400 m individual medley, 400 m freestyle and 20 ...
was banned from competitive swimming for four years by FINA two years after the
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...
, for tampering with her urine sample using alcohol.
She appealed the decision to the
Court of Arbitration for Sport
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...
(CAS). FINA submitted evidence from Jordi Segura, head of the IOC-accredited laboratory in Barcelona, that said she took
androstenedione, a metabolic precursor of testosterone, in the previous 10-to-12 hours before being tested. Smith denied this and androstenedione was not a banned substance. The CAS upheld the ban. She was 28 at the time, and the ban effectively ended her competitive swimming career. Smith was not stripped of her Olympic medals, as she had never tested positive for any banned substances. Her coach and husband, Erik De Bruin, previously served a four-year ban for using illegal drugs during his career as a discus thrower.
Medallists in art competitions
Art competitions were held from
1912 to
1948. Irish entries first appeared in
1924, when they won two medals; a third was won in the 1948 competition.
Before independence
Prior to 1922, Ireland was part of the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was a sovereign state in the British Isles that existed between 1801 and 1922, when it included all of Ireland. It was established by the Acts of Union 1800, which merged the Kingdom of Great B ...
: 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 the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
and
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, notably the "
Irish Whales
The Irish Whales or "The Whales" was a nickname given to a group of Irish, Irish-American and Irish-Canadian athletes who dominated weight-throwing events in the first two decades of the 20th century. "This group dominated the field events, par ...
" in
throwing events.
The
Irish Amateur Athletic Association
The Irish Amateur Athletic Association or IAAA was a governing body for athletic sports in Ireland between 1885 and 1923.
The IAAA was formed as the Irish offshoot of the English Amateur Athletic Association in 1885. This was partially in reactio ...
was invited to the inaugural
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
meeting in 1894, and may have been invited to the 1896 games: it has also been claimed the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
was invited.
[MacCarthy 2010, pp.16–21] In the event, neither participated.
Prior to the
1906 Intercalated Games
The 1906 Intercalated Games or 1906 Olympic Games was an international multi-sport event that was celebrated in Athens, Greece. They were at the time considered to be Olympic Games and were referred to as the "Second International Olympic Games i ...
,
National Olympic Committee
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
s (NOCs) were generally non-existent, and athletes could enter the Olympics individually.
John Pius Boland
John Mary Pius Boland (16 September 1870 – 17 March 1958) was an Irish Nationalist politician, and Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and as member of the Irish Parliam ...
, who won gold in two tennis events in 1896, is now listed as "IRL/GBR".
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.
While Kevin MacCarthy is sceptical of this story, by 1906, Boland was crediting his medals to Ireland.
[MacCarthy 2010, pp.30–37]
Tom Kiely
Thomas "Tom" Francis Kiely (25 August 1869 – 6 November 1951) was an Irish athlete. Kiely won gold in the all-round at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri, making him the first multi-event track and field champion of the Modern ...
, who won
the "all-around" athletics competition at the
1904 Olympics in St Louis is also listed as competing for Great Britain. He had raised funds in counties
Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
and
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
to travel independently and compete for Ireland.
Frank 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 English
Amateur Athletic Association (AAA) and the
New York Athletic Club
The New York Athletic Club is a private social club and athletic club in New York state. Founded in 1868, the club has approximately 8,600 members and two facilities: the City House, located at 180 Central Park South in Manhattan, and Travers ...
to pay his fare and cover his travel expenses so he could compete for them.
Peter Lovesey disagrees with Zarnowski.
The
British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both ...
(BOA) was formed in 1905, and Irish athletes were accredited to the BOA team from the 1906 Games onwards. Whereas
had recognised teams from
Bohemia
Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...
and
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
separately from their respective imperial powers,
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
and
Russia
Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...
, he was unwilling to make any similar distinction for Ireland, either because it lacked a
National Olympic Committee
A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
, or for fear of offending Britain.
At the 1906 Games, both
Peter O'Connor and
Con 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.
[OCI History](_blank)
Olympic Council of Ireland
At the
1908 Games in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, there were multiple BOA entries in several team events, including two representing Ireland. In
the hockey tournament,
the Irish team finished second, behind
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and ahead of
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
and
Wales
Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
. The Irish
polo
Polo is a ball game played on horseback, a traditional field sport and one of the world's oldest known team sports. The game is played by two opposing teams with the objective of scoring using a long-handled wooden mallet to hit a small hard ...
team also finished joint second in
the 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 in
the cycling events, one from each of the separate English, Scottish and Irish governing bodies for the sport.
[MacCarthy 2010, pp.242,253–8] The Irish team came 11th in
the team time trial.
The organisers had proposed a similar division in the
football tournament, but the BOA declined.
[MacCarthy 2010, p.242]
A 1913 list of 35 countries to be invited to the
1916 Olympics included Ireland separately from Great Britain; similarly, Finland and Hungary were to be separate from Russia and Austria, although Bohemia was not listed. A newspaper report of the 1914 Olympic Congress says it endorsed a controversial
German Olympic Committee
The German Olympic Sports Confederation (german: Deutscher Olympischer Sportbund or DOSB) was founded on 20 May 2006 by a merger of the ''Deutscher Sportbund'' (DSB), and the ''Nationales Olympisches Komitee für Deutschland'' (NOK) which dates ...
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". However, the games were cancelled due to the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
After the war,
John J. Keane attempted to unite various sports associations under an Irish Olympic Committee.
[Ireland and Olympism, p.432] Many sports had rival bodies, one
Unionist and affiliated to a United Kingdom parent, the other
Republican
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
and opposed to any link with
Great Britain
Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
. Keane proposed that a separate Irish delegation, marching under the
Union Flag
The Union Jack, or Union Flag, is the ''de facto'' national flag of the United Kingdom. Although no law has been passed making the Union Flag the official national flag of the United Kingdom, it has effectively become such through precedent. ...
, should participate at the
1920 Summer Olympics
The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...
in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, .
At the time the
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...
was under way, and the IOC rejected Keane's proposal, pending the settlement of the underlying political situation.
Political issues
The OCI has always used the name "Ireland", and has claimed to represent the entire
island of Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...
, even though
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
remains part of the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
. These points have been contentious, particularly from the 1930s to the 1950s in
athletics
Athletics may refer to:
Sports
* Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking
** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport
* Athletics (physical culture), competi ...
, and until the 1970s in
cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...
.
Northern Ireland
![Flag of the President of Ireland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Flag_of_the_President_of_Ireland.svg)
The governing bodies in the island of Ireland of many sports had been established prior to
the 1922 partition, and most have remained as single all-island bodies since then. Recognition of the
Irish border
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
was politically contentious and unpopular with
Irish nationalists
Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...
. The
National Athletic and Cycling Association
The National Athletic and Cycling Association (NACA or N.A. and C.A.), from 1990 the National Athletic and Cycling Association of Ireland (NACAI or NACA(I)) was a federation of sports clubs in the island of Ireland practising athletics or bicyc ...
(Ireland), or NACA(I), was formed in 1922 by the merger of rival all-island associations, and affiliated to both the
International Amateur Athletics Federation
World Athletics, formerly known as the International Amateur Athletic Federation (from 1912 to 2001) and International Association of Athletics Federations (from 2001 to 2019, both abbreviated as the IAAF) is the international governing body for ...
(IAAF) and
Union Cycliste Internationale
The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
The UCI issues racing ...
(UCI).
When Northern Ireland athletes were selected for the
1928 games, the possibility was raised of using an "all-Ireland banner" as the team flag, rather than the
Irish tricolour
The national flag of Ireland ( ga, bratach na hÉireann), frequently referred to in Ireland as 'the tricolour' () and elsewhere as the Irish tricolour is a vertical tricolour of green (at the hoist), white and orange. The proportions of the ...
which
unionists disavowed. J. J. Keane stated that it was too late to change the flag registered with the IOC, but was hopeful that the
coat of arms of Ireland
)
, supporters =
, compartment =
, motto =
, orders =
, other_elements =
, earlier_versions =
, use = The harp is used on all Acts of Oireachtas; the seal of the President; the cover of Iri ...
would be adopted afterwards.
In 1925, some Northern Ireland athletics clubs left NACA(I) and in 1930 formed the Northern Ireland Amateur Athletics Association, which later formed the
British Athletic Federation (BAF) with the English and Scottish Amateur Athletics Associations.
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.
This was not agreed in time for the
1932 Summer Olympics
The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...
—at which two NACA(I) athletes won gold medals for Ireland— but was agreed at the IAAF's 1934 congress.
The NACA(I) refused to comply and was suspended in 1935, thus missing the
1936 Berlin Olympics.
The OCI decided to boycott the Games completely in protest.
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. The IOC allowed AAUÉ athletes to compete for
Ireland at the 1948 London Olympics, but the rest of the OCI delegation shunned them.
At that games, two swimmers from Northern Ireland were prevented from competing in the OCI team. This was a
FINA
FINA (french: Fédération internationale de natation, en, International Swimming Federation, link=yes) (to be renamed as World Aquatics by ) is the international federation recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for administer ...
ruling rather than an IOC rule; Danny Taylor from Belfast was allowed by
FISA
The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 ("FISA" , ) is a United States federal law that establishes procedures for the physical and electronic surveillance and the collection of "foreign intelligence information" between "foreign pow ...
to compete in the rowing.
The entire swimming squad withdrew, but the rest of the team competed.
Some athletes born in what had become the Republic of Ireland continued to compete for the British team.
In 1952, new IOC President
Avery Brundage
Avery Brundage (; September 28, 1887 – May 8, 1975) was an American sports administrator who served as the fifth president of the International Olympic Committee from 1952 to 1972. The only American and only non-European to attain that p ...
and new OCI delegate
Lord Killanin
Baron Killanin, of Galway in the County of Galway, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
History
It was created in 1900 for the Irish lawyer and politician Michael Morris, Baron Morris, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
The Cour ...
agreed that people from Northern Ireland would in future be allowed to compete in any sport on the OCI team.
In
Irish nationality law, birth in Northern Ireland 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.
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) with
Irish Republican
Irish republicanism ( ga, poblachtánachas Éireannach) is the political movement for the unity and independence of Ireland under a republic. Irish republicans view British rule in any part of Ireland as inherently illegitimate.
The develop ...
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. Seven were arrested
in 1972; three had delayed the start and the other four joined mid-race to ambush ICF competitor Noel Taggart, causing a minor pileup. This happened days after the
murders of Israeli athletes and at the height of
the Troubles
The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...
in Northern Ireland; the negative publicity helped precipitate an end to the NCA–ICF feud.
The
Irish Hockey Union
Hockey Ireland, previously known as the Irish Hockey Association, is the governing body for field hockey in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is responsible for organising both the Ireland men's national field hockey team and t ...
joined the OCI in 1949, and the
Ireland team in non-Olympic competitions is selected on an all-island basis.
Until 1992 the IHU was not invited to the
Olympic hockey tournament,
while Northern Irish hockey players like
Stephen Martin played on the
British Olympic men's team.
In 1992, invitation was replaced by an Olympic qualifying tournament, which the IHU/IHA has entered, despite some opposition from Northern Irish members.
Northern Irish players can play for Ireland or Britain, and can switch affiliation subject to
International Hockey Federation
The Fédération Internationale de Hockey (English: International Hockey Federation), commonly known by the acronym and initialism, acronym FIH, is the international governing body of field hockey and indoor field hockey. Its headquarters are i ...
clearance. The
Irish Ladies Hockey Union
Hockey Ireland, previously known as the Irish Hockey Association, is the governing body for field hockey in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is responsible for organising both the Ireland men's national field hockey team and t ...
has entered the Olympics since
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, and
in 1980 suspended Northern Irish players who elected to play for the
British women's team.
Through to the 1960s, Ireland was represented
in showjumping only by members of the
Irish Army Equitation School
, image=DF Equitation School.png
, image_size=150px
, caption=
, dates= 1926–present
, country= Ireland
, allegiance=
, branch= Army
, type= Equestrianism
, role=
, size=
, command_structure= Defence Forces
, current_commander=
, garrison= M ...
, as the all-island civilian equestrian governing body was unwilling to compete under the Republic's
flag
A flag is a piece of fabric (most often rectangular or quadrilateral) with a distinctive design and colours. It is used as a symbol, a signalling device, or for decoration. The term ''flag'' is also used to refer to the graphic design empl ...
and
anthem
An anthem is a musical composition of celebration, usually used as a symbol for a distinct group, particularly the national anthems of countries. Originally, and in music theory and religious contexts, it also refers more particularly to short ...
.
In November 2003, the OCI discovered that the
British Olympic Association
The British Olympic Association (BOA) is the National Olympic Committee for the United Kingdom. It is responsible for organising and overseeing the participation of athletes from the Great Britain and Northern Ireland Olympic Team, at both ...
(BOA) had been using ''Northern Ireland'' in the text of its "Team Members Agreement" document since the
2002 Games.
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.
OCI president
Pat Hickey claimed the IOC's copy of the BOA constitution had "question marks" against mentions of Northern Ireland (and
Gibraltar
)
, anthem = " God Save the King"
, song = " Gibraltar Anthem"
, image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg
, map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe
, map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green
, mapsize =
, image_map2 = Gib ...
); an IOC spokesperson said "Through an error we have given both national Olympic committees rights over the same area." The
2012 Games host was to be selected in July 2004 and so, to prevent the dispute harming the
London bid, its director
Barbara Cassani and the
Blair government secured agreement by which ''Northern Ireland'' was removed from BOA documents and marketing materials.
Northern Ireland athletes retain the right to compete for Britain.
![Predominant passport held northern ireland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/Predominant_passport_held_northern_ireland.png)
In October 2004,
Lord McIntosh of Haringey
Andrew Robert McIntosh, Baron McIntosh of Haringey, PC (30 April 1933 – 27 August 2010) was a British Labour politician and last elected Principal of the Working Men's College.
Personal life
McIntosh was educated at Haberdasher Aske's Hamp ...
told the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
:
By contrast, OCI officers Pat Hickey and Dermot Sherlock told an
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas (, ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:
*The President of Ireland
*The bicameralism, two houses of the Oireachtas ...
committee in 2008:
Hickey also said:
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."
In 2009,
rugby sevens was added to the Olympic programme
starting in 2016. While
World Rugby
World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organises the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport's most recognised and most profitable competition. It also organises a number of other international rug ...
states players from Northern Ireland are eligible to compete on the
Great Britain team, the
Irish Rugby Football Union
The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) ( ga, Cumann Rugbaí na hÉireann) is the body managing rugby union in the island of Ireland (both Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland). The IRFU has its head office at 10/12 Lansdowne Road and home ...
(IRFU) director of rugby said in 2011 that "with the agreement of the
nglish, Scottish, and Welshunions" the "de facto position" was that Northern Ireland players must represent
an IRFU team. In 2010 ''
The Daily Telegraph
''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally.
It was fo ...
'' 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".
Name of the country
The OFI sees itself as representing the island rather than the state, and hence uses the name "Ireland".
It changed its own name from "Irish Olympic Council" to "Olympic Council of Ireland" in 1952 to reinforce this point.
(The change from "Council" to "Federation" was a 2018
rebranding
Rebranding is a marketing strategy in which a new name, term, symbol, design, concept or combination thereof is created for an established brand with the intention of developing a new, differentiated identity in the minds of consumers, investors ...
after the
2016 ticketing controversy.) At the time,
Lord Killanin
Baron Killanin, of Galway in the County of Galway, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom.
History
It was created in 1900 for the Irish lawyer and politician Michael Morris, Baron Morris, Lord Chief Justice of Ireland
The Cour ...
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 President
Henri de Baillet-Latour
Henri de Baillet-Latour, Count of Baillet-Latour (1 March 1876 – 6 January 1942) was a Belgian aristocrat and the third president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Early life
Henri de Baillet-Latour was born in Brussels, Belgium ...
supported the principle of delimitation by political borders.
At the 1932 Games,
Eoin O'Duffy
Eoin O'Duffy (born Owen Duffy; 28 January 1890 – 30 November 1944) was an Irish military commander, police commissioner and politician. O'Duffy was the leader of the Monaghan Brigade of the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and a prominent figure in ...
persuaded the Organisers to switch from "Irish Free State" to "Ireland" shortly before the Opening Ceremony.
After the
1937 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 the
1948 Summer Olympics
The 1948 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XIV Olympiad and also known as London 1948) were an international multi-sport event held from 29 July to 14 August 1948 in London, England, United Kingdom. Following a twelve-year hiatus ca ...
, 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.
After the
Republic of Ireland Act
The Republic of Ireland Act 1948 (No. 22 of 1948) is an Act of the Oireachtas which declared that the description of Ireland was to be the Republic of Ireland, and vested in the president of Ireland the power to exercise the executive authority ...
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 member
Lord Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...
had consulted the British
Foreign Office
Foreign may refer to:
Government
* Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries
* Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries
** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government
** Foreign office and foreign minister
* Unit ...
. An OCI request to change this to "Ireland" was rejected in 1952, In late 1955 Brundage ruled that "Ireland" would be the official IOC name, and
Lewis Luxton of the
Organising Committee for the
1956 Melbourne Games said that "Ireland" would be used on scoreboards and programmes.
[Dolphin 2016 p. 15] The OCI had argued that this was the name in the state's own Constitution, and that all the OCI's affiliated sports except the
Football Association of Ireland were all-island bodies.
However, in the buildup to the Games, Lord Burghley (now Marquess of Exeter) protested at the IOC decision and insisted that
the athletics events would use the IAAF name of "Eire". On the first day of athletics, "Ireland" (
code
In communications and information processing, code is a system of rules to convert information—such as a letter, word, sound, image, or gesture—into another form, sometimes shortened or secret, for communication through a communication ...
"IRE") was used, but from the second day it changed to "Eire"/"EIR".
[Dolphin 2016 pp. 19–20]
See also
*
List of flag bearers for Ireland at the Olympics
This is a list of flag bearers who have represented Ireland at the Olympics. Flag bearers carry the national flag of their country at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. Men and women from across the country and from a variety of sports ...
*
:Olympic competitors for Ireland
*
Ireland at the Paralympics
*
Ireland at the British Empire Games
*
2016 Summer Olympics ticket scandal
References
Sources
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
Notes
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ireland at the Olympics