Olympic homecoming - Hickey must make way for new blood

IT was a measure of Ireland’s lacklustre Olympic performance — with the glittering exception of Cian O’Connor and his horse Waterford Crystal — that yesterday’s homecoming was overshadowed by the manic behaviour of an ex-priest and the controversy raging around Pat Hickey, Irish Olympic Council president.

To the cringing shame of his family and country, pictures of lunatic-fringe priest Neil Horan rugby-tackling the Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima, robbing him of a gold medal chance, made front page news around the globe.

Thankfully, however, he failed to rob yesterday’s homecoming of its one bright light. Without Cian O’Connor’s stunning gold medal, it would have been a quiet affair rather than the ecstatic welcome that deservedly greeted the victor.