OFI confirms Ireland's largest Olympic squad ever as 116 athletes primed for Tokyo

The team on duty in Japan is closing in on a 50/50 gender split and contains a number of live medal contenders across a range of sports

The judo sibling pair of Ben and Megan Fletcher were today the last to be officially given the green light by the Olympic Federation of Ireland. Photo by Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Team Ireland’s roster has finally been confirmed for the approaching Tokyo Games with the 116 athletes named to travel to Japan making it by far the largest contingent to leave these shores for any Olympics.

The judo sibling pair of Megan and Ben Fletcher were today the last to be officially given the green light by the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI). The previous record for Ireland was the 81 athletes who made it to London for the Games back in 1948.

That team failed to medal in the English capital but hopes are much higher this time around with huge podium prospects across sports as diverse as rowing, boxing, modern pentathlon, golf, gymnastics, and more.

It is also a team closing in on a 50/50 gender balance with roughly 46% of those involved being female.

The overall number has been buttressed significantly by the presence of the women’s hockey and men’s rugby sevens squads but swimming, equestrian, and athletics are among the sports that are providing talent in bulk too.

There are also a further eleven ‘reserves’ travelling across some of the sports, not to mention a supporting staff that will be with them every step of the way. Not just during the Games that run from July 23rd to August 8th, but in the run-up in their Japanese holding camps.

Ben Fletcher is a Rio Olympian who previously competed for Great Britain. He broke his leg in two places in February but his strong ranking going into 2020 ensured he held onto his position by the close of the qualification window.

Megan Fletcher will be experiencing the big show for the first time.

“This is a watershed moment for us in Irish Judo,” said their team leader Ciaran Ward. “It’s the first time we have qualified two athletes since global qualification started. It’s a generation since we had this size of a team and it’s the first time we have had both men and women represented at the Olympics, so it’s a first for Irish Judo, and we are very proud of both of them.

“Judo is the national sport in Japan and is the sport that produces most medals for them normally at the Olympic Games. They are the benchmark that we all try to achieve. Usually, in Japan, there’s a full stadium of spectators who all know their sport, which will be different this time around.”