Comerford and Judge to carry Irish flag at Paralympics opening ceremony

Orla Comerford. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Orla Comerford and Colin Judge have been confirmed as the Team Ireland flag bearers at the opening ceremony at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Comerford will compete in her third Paralympic Games after her debut appearance at the Rio 2016 Games. 

She has been a European Championship bronze medallist and she finished in fourth place at the most recent World Championships missing out narrowly on a medal.

Table Tennis star Judge will be competing in his second Games.

Speaking about the announcement of the flag bearers, Chef de Mission, Neasa Russell said: “I am delighted to announce that Orla and Colin will be the flag bearers for Team Ireland when we compete in Paris in less than two weeks. 

"These two athletes epitomise the hard work and dedication it takes to be a high-performance athlete. They have both achieved great things on the international stage and there is much more to come from both of them. 

"Moreover they are great people and great leaders who perfectly demonstrate the qualities and values of Team Ireland and I know they will both be very positive role models for the team and for those watching at home.”

The opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will be held at the Place de la Concorde on August 29th marking the first time that the event will take place outside of the main stadium. 

There are 35 athletes set to compete for Ireland at the Games across 9 sports with the first of the athletes competing on August 29th.