At 32, I’m considered to be in the prime of my professional life.

Shane Sweetnam was disappointed when Cian O’Connor was selected ahead of him for the Olympics... and the rest is history.

Olympic silver medallist John Joe Nevin insisted yesterday that Irish boxing cannot afford to lose coaches Billy Walsh or Zaur Antia and that everything possible should be done to keep the high performance team together.

Andy Lee, Ireland’s only boxer to qualify for the Athens Olympics in 2004, believes John Joe Nevin’s victory over Cuba’s world bantamweight champion, Lazaro Alvarez, was one of the best contests of the whole tournament.

A remarkable performance in the showjumping ring by Cian O’Connor has brought an unexpected boost to the Irish horse sport sector and should raise the profile of Irish breeders, riders and trainers, says Kyran Fitzgerald

Cian O'Connor has said it is "time to move on" from the controversy surrounding his performance at the Athens Olympics.

IT isn’t often that the man considered by many to be the greatest badminton player in the history of the sport finds himself struggling to win the affection of a crowd.

A UK TV audience of 26.9 million people watched the London 2012 Olympic Games opening ceremony, according to the BBC.

Olympic Council of Ireland President Pat Hickey insists he has no issues with show jumper Cian O’Connor competing in the London Games.

Show jumper Cian O’Connor yesterday said it was “fantastic to be going back to the Olympics” after he got the nod as a replacement for Denis Lynch.

The Olympic Council of Ireland’s Appeal Tribunal has turned down the appeal by Irish professional road cyclist Matt Brammeier against the decision of Cycling Ireland not to select him for the Olympic Road Race.

A FEW years ago, during the Athens Olympics, Moore McDowell said that it was a good thing that the Irish clay pigeon shooter Derek Burnett failed to win a gold medal, for if he had, we’d be calling for a shooting range in every parish.

DISMISS him at your peril was the clear message from Ireland’s Alastair Cragg as he put the pieces back together after dropping out of the record breaking Boston Marathon with a badly blistered left foot.

IRISH paralympic team manager James Nolan is predicting a return of at least two medals from the IPC world championships, which take place in Christchurch from January 21-30.

WHAT would a major sporting event be without the preliminary hullabaloo about the venue? It won’t be ready; its cost has over-run; there are terrorists in the bushes; it’s too expensive.

Roger Federer gained revenge over his Wimbledon conqueror Tomas Berdych by battling from 5-2 down in the third set to edge a thrilling quarter-final against the Czech at the ATP Rogers Cup in Toronto last night.

Rafael Nadal cemented his status as the best player in the world with a 6-3 7-5 6-4 demolition of surprise Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych on Centre Court this afternoon.

KIM COLLINS will provide a formidable challenge for Paul Hession in the sprints when Cork City Sports relocates to the plush surroundings of the CIT Track in Bishopstown on Saturday week.

CHRIS NEWTON, one of Britain’s most decorated cyclists, has a treasure chest of Olympic and world championship medals but would still love to add his name to the list of FBD Insurance Rás legends who have won the title three times or more.

BILLY WALSH, the face of Irish boxing in recent years, was yesterday considering his future as Head Coach after failing to nail down the position of Director of High Performance.

DAVID GILLICK emerged from the old Olympic Stadium in Berlin last night with his head held high, after finishing sixth in the final of the men’s 400m.

PAUL HESSION has made no secret of the fact that he will be going for a fast time at The Mardyke this evening when he will assume star billing for the men’s 200m at Cork City Sports.

DERVAL O’ROURKE has withdrawn from Saturday’s Cork City Sports because of a groin injury picked up at the European Team Championships in Slovakia two weeks ago.

SAM BENNETT washed his stage winner’s blue jersey yesterday morning to show it off at last night’s club league race in Carrick-on-Suir and his coach, Martin O’Loughlin, insisted Saturday’s victory in the FBD Insurance Rás stage into Clara was the first of many.

SHOW JUMPER Denis Lynch appears before a tribunal of the International Equestrian Federation at 1pm today in Lausanne, Switzerland.

IF Federation Equestre Internationale president Princess Haya was selling a horse at Ballinasloe Fair next month, I doubt she would get many buyers, based on her recent promotion of equestrian sport.

RUFUS, the horse of show jumper Rodrigo Pessoa, has tested positive for a banned substance at the Olympics, bringing to six the number of horses to have done so.

IT MAY be something of a second coming but Jamie Costin will have arrived when he lines up for the 50k walk in the Bird’s Nest tomorrow morning (12.30am Irish time).

IRISH boxers have brought the country to heights not reached since Melbourne in 1956 as Darren Sutherland claimed a third Olympic medal in Beijing.

EIGHT years ago Andrew Bree — at just 19 — had the world at his feet when he made his Olympic debut in Sydney but since then not only himself but Irish swimming in general has gone through some difficult times.

JOHN TREACY has made his own arrangements to attend the Olympics in Beijing as the Irish Sports Council (ISC) moved to stave off any confrontation with the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) on the eve of the Games.

IRELAND’S five Olympic boxers have arrived in Bugeat, France, for the penultimate training camp in advance of the Olympic Games.

THE Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) have set up a special tribunal to hear appeals resulting from the nomination of Star Class sailors Peter O'Leary and Stephen Milne by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA) for the Beijing Games.

THE Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) is not prepared to consider the selection of Star class sailors Peter O’Leary and Stephen Milne for this year’s Games pending the outcome of an appeal against their nomination lodged by Max Treacy and Anthony Shanks.

JOHN JOE JOYCE claimed his place in the Beijing Olympic Games in spectacular fashion when he outclassed and outpointed Harun Sipahi (Germany) a veteran of the Athens Olympics, 27-12, in an action-packed light welterweight semi-final at the qualifying tournament in Athens yesterday.

CIARAN POWER (Pezula Racing) put his hallmark on a spectacular weekend when he won the final stage of the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan, to copperfasten his overall victory in blustery conditions at Killorglin yesterday.

CIARÁN POWER (Pezula Racing) may have been dumped on the scrapheap when the Sports Council were handing out their grants to elite sports people, but he was at the top of the pile yesterday evening when he won the opening stage of the Pauline Sugrue Auctioneers Rás Mumhan into Killorglin.

THIS is Olympic year so we can expect big things from Ciarán Power — the most experienced Irish professional in the peloton — according to Martin O’Loughlin, who is former manager of the Olympic cycling team.

HAD Andrew Murray taken the medical advice offered him, he would never have donned a pair of boxing gloves. But, do date, he has won three national senior titles as an amateur and, as a professional, holds the Irish light welterweight belt.

HE MAY have been an hour late arriving but when Andy Lee walked in the door of his old club, St Francis ABC, on the corner of Mungret Street and Old St Francis Street, in Limerick, the reception was amazing and left one wondering just what it will be like when he enters the ring at the UL Arena on Saturday night.

DERVAL O’ROURKE’S defence of her world indoor 60m hurdles title was in jeopardy last night after she withdrew from next weekend’s Woodies DIY Irish indoor athletic championships at the Odyssey Arena in Belfast with a foot injury.

HIS career has been sensational — his return to Ireland dramatic — and now Andy Lee has promised his Limerick homecoming on February 2, when he headlines the city’s first professional boxing show at UL Arena, will be spectacular.

PADDY BARNES went the full distance with the world champion, Shiming Zou from China, in their light flyweight quarter final at the World Championships in Chicago but his brave effort ended in the defeat.

Paula Radcliffe has confirmed she will compete at the New York City marathon on November 4.