Did you know? Tipperary has had huge success in the Olympics in the past...

One of the major international sporting events of the year, the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad, will take place in Paris, France, from Friday, July 26 - Sunday, August 11, 2024.

It is the pinnacle of the sporting career of over 10,000 athletes as they vie for gold, silver or bronze in the Paris Olympics.

Paris previously hosted the Olympics in 1900 and 1924, and will join London (1908, 1948 and 2012) as the only two cities to host the Olympics on three occasions.

There are 39 sports in the games and a total of 329 events. The Games will officially open on Friday, July 26th, 2024.

Instead of being held in a traditional stadium, the 2024 Opening Ceremony will take the form of a four-mile-long floating procession down the Seine River.

Athletes and performers will ride through the heart of Paris in approximately 160 boats, with the parade ending at the Trocadero. The Opening Ceremony will conclude there with a final show as the Eiffel Tower lights up the night.

The officially selected number of athletes competing for Team Ireland has now reached 122, which has passed the previously largest team ever (116 in Tokyo 2020).

The athletics team are travelling to Paris on a high, following on from the phenomenal performances of the Athletics Ireland team at the European Championships last month. 

It is time also to reflect on our past history in the Olympics and the many from Tipperary who competed over the years and the notable successes such as Tom Kiely, Carrick-on-Suir who won the gold medal in the 1904 Summer Olympics in the all-round event, James Sarsfield "Jim" Mitchell, Emly, who won bronze in the 56-lb weight throw at the 1904 Games, John Joseph ("Johnny") Hayes, Nenagh, who won the marathon at the London Olympics in 1908, Matt McGrath, Nenagh, who won the Olympic title in weight throwing in 1912 and set an Olympic record that stood for 24 years, Pat O'Callaghan, Clonmel, who won gold in the Hammer Throw (1928/1932) and Bob Tisdall, Nenagh, won gold in the 400m hurdles at the 1932 Olympic Games in a world record time of 51.7 seconds.