The Irish women’s team’s Olympic Games hopes received a huge boost as they were confirmed as one of the host nations for the next phase of qualifiers for Tokyo.

An international summer of over 80 matches at each level tips off in earnest with perhaps the biggest of the challenge games, Olympic silver medalists Germany, coming to Pembroke tomorrow and Saturday.

The second season of the EY Hockey League gets underway this weekend and 11 Olympians will feature, fresh from their Rio 2016 campaign.

1. JOE WARD (Light heavyweight boxer)

The waiting game begins for Ireland after they concluded their best ever year in international hockey with a remarkable Unibet EuroHockey Championship bronze medal on Saturday.

EuroHockey Championships semi-final: Netherlands 1, Ireland 0

Ireland will be hoping to add another chapter to their remarkable underdog story when they meet hockey powerhouse the Netherlands in today’s Unibet EuroHockey Championships semi-finals in London (1.15pm).

Frustration abounded for the Irish men as they lost 2-1 to hosts Belgium in their final World League Round 3 group match in Antwerp.

Ireland’s women claimed Champions Challenge I silver for the first time, but gold eluded them as USA claimed a 3-1 final victory in Glasgow.

Cork Harlequins rolled back the years to record a fairytale men’s Irish Senior Cup victory at Belfield yesterday.

Ireland’s Olympic dream was snatched from them in the cruellest fashion yesterday, as the tale of the tape gave Korea a contentious winner with just nine seconds to go to stun a packed Belfield into silence yesterday.

Ireland's Olympic dream died in agonising fashion at Belfield today as they were undone by a Korean winner in the final seconds of the Electric Ireland FIH Road to London final, going down 3-2.

Ireland's men's hockey team are excited by the prospect of making history rather than being weighed down by its burden, according to coach Paul Revington as they face into one of the biggest games of their careers today.

Ireland put in a performance of real maturity at the Electric Ireland FIH Road to London to secure the 1-1 draw they needed with Malaysia to advance to a winner-takes-all playoff for Olympic qualification against Korea tomorrow (4pm).

Ireland 12 Ukraine 0

Ireland 6 Russia 1

After a spectacular 2011, Ireland’s men will hope they can continue the momentum and qualify for the Olympic Games for the first time.

They say you don’t win titles at Christmas — but if you’re Catholic Institute, you can certainly win them in January.

NO goals and no points is the chilling statistic worrying Ireland’s senior ladies after they fell to two 3-0 defeats to Germany and Belgium on the opening weekend of the EuroHockey Nations Championships in Germany.

IRELAND’S tournament hoodoo against France almost resurfaced before Eugene Magee saved the day with the last touch of the match in a 2-2 Champions Challenge II draw in Lille yesterday.

JOHN JERMYN has returned to the international fold ahead of Ireland’s series of friendlies against the Netherlands in Seville, but there is still no sign of his Cork C of I club-mate David Hobbs in the squad.

IRELAND’S hockey coach Paul Revington has described the loss of two key players on the eve of his side’s World Cup qualification campaign as ‘a body blow’.

IRELAND senior men’s coach Paul Revington is hoping consistency of selection will help his side spring a major surprise when they get their World Cup qualification campaign underway in Argentina next month.

THEY might be recognised as one of the best sides in Ireland at the moment, but Cork Harlequins have never won the Irish Senior Cup.