No way of dressing it up, it’s been a poor championships so far for the Irish, meaning tomorrow’s race walks again represent the one remaining chance at a storybook ending.

It may be slightly thin on top-level Irish talent, but the 66th edition of the Cork City Sports is once again loaded with such a rich of cast of world-class athletes that few will even notice.

Katie Taylor’s return to the ring this weekend is set to kickstart a busy run of at least seven fights this year for the former Olympic champion.

Promoter Eddie Hearn talked the talk after former Olympic boxing champion, Katie Taylor, walked the walk in her professional debut win in London on Saturday night.

By the time the final bell rings on her professional debut tonight, Katie Taylor hopes that talk of Rio will be firmly in her past.

Katie Taylor marked her decision to turn professional with a declaration of intent, claiming she is “ready to conquer” the paid game just as she has done in amateur boxing.

There’s a reason Cork is the country’s winningest sporting county. Superior genes? Unlikely. Superior belief?

If there’s one thing we know about our Olympic hopefuls, it’s that we don’t know all that much.

Further recognition of Ireland’s ascension to world hockey’s top table came yesterday when Craig Fulton was named as the International Hockey Federation’s coach of the year.

Sebastian Coe has backed the International Association of Athletics Federations to issue a “robust and detailed response” to a Sunday Times report alleging widespread doping in the sport.

Olive Loughnane looks set to be awarded the gold medal for the 20km race walk from the 2009 World Championships in Berlin after Russia’s Olga Kaniskina was yesterday banned by the Russian Anti-doping Agency for an anti-doping rule violation.

Irish fans will be able to watch Katie Taylor’s bid to claim a remarkable fifth straight AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship belt after TG4 secured the rights to screen her semi-final and final bouts next month, if she gets to that stage.

A text message at 9:33am yesterday morning from Derval O’Rourke signalled the end of a glittering career for one of Ireland’s most medalled athletes.

Ireland’s women will be spared a €65,000 trip to Uruguay after they were yesterday awarded the hosting of World League 2 — the penultimate tournament on their Olympic qualification journey.

Ireland’s silver medallist pairing of Ryan Seaton and Matt McGovern are still coming to terms with their display the ISAF World Cup in Hyeres, France on Saturday.

Russian southpaw Sofya Ochigava is looking sharp ahead of June’s European Elite Women’s Championships in Romania, according to Irish coach Antionette Faye.

John Joe Nevin felt more pressure making his professional debut on Monday night in Boston than going into the 2012 Olympic final in London.

Katie Taylor has revealed she is again “flirting” with the idea of turning professional — and the 2012 Olympic gold medallist may well be joined in the paid boxing ranks by Michael Conlon, who claimed a bronze in London last year.

Cork’s Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan is confident he can beat British 2008 Olympian Billy Joe Saunders in London on Saturday.

Katie Taylor hammered out her 53rd straight championship win to move to within one victory of claiming her fifth successive EU title with a comfortable semi-final victory over Mira Potkonen in Hungary yesterday.

Olympic champion Usain Bolt was unable to claim victory in his first Diamond League race of the season as Justin Gatlin continued his impressive form by edging out the Jamaican to win the 100 metres in Rome.

Derval O’Rourke is the standout name of the athletes pre-selected for the European first league team championships at the end of the month.

Athletics Ireland chief executive, John Foley, has welcomed the comments and recommendations made in the 2012 Olympic review.

Olympic bronze medallist Cian O'Connor won his second major class of the week at the London International Horse Show today.

London 2012 Olympic silver medallist John Joe Nevin has shelved plans to turn professional.

Ireland’s boxers are back amongst the silverware in international competition just two weeks after the Olympics.

In breezes which were lighter than forecast, Annalise Murphy may have had her bubble of supremacy pricked but the Irish sailor still leads the Laser Radial class at the 2012 Olympic regatta off Weymouth and Portland in Dorset.

Modern-day economic, political and social challenges make Olympics values “more relevant than at any time before”, Sebastian Coe will say tomorrow.

New allegations that two FIFA executive committee members were paid $1.5m (€1m) to vote for Qatar’s 2022 World Cup bid emerged today.

Villa Park has been withdrawn as a venue for the 2012 Olympic football tournament.

The Minister for Sport has confirmed plans are at advanced stage to try and stage sporting events in Ireland as part of the 2012 Olympics in London.

Former Scotland manager Craig Brown has called for all four home nations to be represented separately in the 2012 Olympic football tournament.

ON those rare occasions when the world seems to turn its gaze towards Manchester, we Mancs will seem to be wholly unconcerned.

Northern Sports Minister Edwin Poots will face tough questions at Stormont today over plans to build a £240m (€318.9m) stadium project at the former Maze paramilitary prison.

The construction firm charged with the delivery of London’s 2012 Olympic park unveiled a 40% rise in profits today.

Athlete Sonia O’Sullivan wants to run in the London Olympics in 2012 - when she’s 43.

THE Government is to establish a body to capitalise on the opportunities offered by the Olympics in London in 2012.

A STEERING group should be established to co-ordinate preparations for the 2012 Olympics and prevent the damaging rows between sporting bodies that affected the Irish performances at previous Games, a report will state today.

Tessa Jowell believes a sense of “national self-confidence” that has sprung from London’s 2012 Olympic victory could help an England bid for the 2018 World Cup.

Shaun Connolly, Gleneagles

David Beckham joined Tony Blair today for a chaotic photocall designed to boost London’s 2012 Olympic bid.

British Prime Minister Tony Blair today launched the final countdown for London’s 2012 Olympic bid – promising work would begin on the Games within 48 hours if the city was successful.