Despite the unseemly row and initial uncertainty surrounding the official homecoming for the Irish Olympic team in the capital, the home towns of Katie Taylor, John Joe Nevin, Michael Conlan and Paddy Barnes were last night putting the finishing touches to their celebrations.

Twitter and Facebook are out of bounds for the Irish Olympic boxing squad during the Olympic Games.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird will turn to his home track and the support of the home crowd at the CIT Stadium in Bishopstown this evening (6.30pm) to launch the final phase of his Olympic build-up in the featured Cork City Sports Cork Airport Mile.

IN east London, the heart of the 2012 Olympics, the ‘big build’, which started in 2006, has transformed a dilapidated area into a world-class urban park complete with new infrastructure.

IRISH Olympic Chef de Mission Sonia O’Sullivan is convinced Ireland can secure medals at next year’s London Games.

THE simmering row that has scarred relations between two of Irish sport’s most important bodies blazed back to life yesterday when Pat Hickey launched an astonishing broadside at the Irish Sports Council (ISC).

AS THE official anthem of Kazakhstan began to fade, the unofficial anthem of Ireland began to pound out from a corner of the Workers’ Gymnasium in the minutes before Kenny Egan took the ring for yesterday’s Olympic Light Heavyweight gold medal bout.

The Irish Olympic squad could avail of five of 19 byes at the draw for the Olympic boxing event which will take place at the Asia Hotel in Beijing this Friday morning, 11am local time).

ROISÍN McGETTIGAN earned a deserved and timely boost in advance of the Olympic Games when she won the women’s steeplechase at the first session of the VIVA British Grand Prix at Crystal Palace last night.

Three further athletes - 400 metres hurdler Michelle Carey, marathon runner Pauline Curley and 800 metres specialist Thomas Chamney - have today been added to the Irish Olympic team for next month's Games in Beijing.

THOMAS CHAMNEY was rewarded for a last minute dash from Heusden-Zolder to Dublin to compete in the Woodies DIY National Championships yesterday when he was named on the Irish team for Beijing.

THE Minister for Sport, Martin Cullen, yesterday dismissed speculation that the 3.5m grants scheme for GAA players, which was agreed last year, was under any threat as a result of any cutbacks brought about by the current economic climate.

THE Olympic Council of Ireland has left nobody in any doubt about qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing by announcing the qualification standards for 13 sports.

A Kenyan runner today broke the Dublin Marathon’s 21-year-old record.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN arrives here tomorrow full of confidence and ready to produce her best performances of the year, according to partner Nic Bideau yesterday.

DISGRACED Irish Olympian Cathal Lombard, who tested positive for a banned performance-enhancing drug, wants to devote his energies to tackling drugs in sport.

The Olympic Council of Ireland today announced a cut-size Irish Olympic team to travel to the Athens Olympics next month.

DAVID O’LOUGHLIN aims to enhance his prospects of making the Irish Olympic cycling team with a podium finish in next week’s FBD Milk Rás.

IRELAND could have its smallest team in years at next year’s Olympic Games in Athens as the race for qualification gathers momentum.