Irish Olympic team is named

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

The team of 48, the smallest in two decades, consists of 13 track & field competitors, 10 equestrian, 9 sailing, 6 rowing, 4 cycling, 2 swimming, 2 canoeing, 1 boxing and 1 clay pigeon shooting.

The small number of Irish competitors is mostly due to the tough qualification standards set by the International Olympics Committee.

However, a number of other athletes who narrowly missed out on qualification may be given more time to achieve qualification.

The Olympic Council of Ireland’s executive committee will meet to discuss the issue on Friday.