Cathal Dennehy: 'We have 12 opportunities that will define the Games for everyone'

Ireland's Olympic chef de mission Gavin Noble isn’t afraid to admit that athletes in that medal bracket will get higher priority when it comes to support staff and resources, their every need catered for in a way that’s not possible for everyone.

DEFINING GAMES: Team Ireland Paris 2024 Chef de Mission Gavin Noble brings the same competitive fire to this as he did in his sporting career. Picture: Seb Daly/Sportsfile

Once an Olympian, always an Olympian. Gavin Noble knows the truth in that statement, but few former athletes have remained as entrenched in this world as the 43-year-old Enniskillen native.

In 2012, he became the first male triathlete to represent Ireland at an Olympics, finishing 23rd of 55 in the triathlon. Twelve years on, everything about that experience has infused his current position as chef de mission for Team Ireland.