Irish Team for inaugural European Games
The Olympic Council of Ireland has issued its final selection of athletes to compete in the inaugural European Games being held in Baku, Azerbaijan, next month.
The final team now covers 63 athletes from 14 sports and the Ireland squad will join over 6,000 athletes from 50 European nations in the chase for medal success.
Pat Hickey, President of the OCI, said:”With many of the sports offering Olympic qualification possibilities for Rio 2016, these inaugural Games…will be a superb event.”
From the point of view of Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport, boxing Paddy Barnes and Michael Conlan, who both are already qualified for Rio via the World Series of Boxing, won’t compete.
Rising talents Brendan Irvine and Kurt Walker get the chance to impress as a result. The potential 2020 Olympians will be hoping to make the later stages of the contest. Due to APB commitments David Oliver Joyce and Joe Ward are also absent from the list.
2012 Olympians Adam Nolan and Darren O’Neill have been added to the select with former middleweight O’Neill representing Ireland at heavyweight.
TEAM IRELAND – BAKU 2015 –
Men’s Boxing: Brendan Irvine (light fly)Myles Casey (fly),Dean Gardiner (super heavy), Sean McComb (light), Adam Nolan (welter), Darren O’Neill (heavy), Michael O’Reilly (middle), Kurt Walker (bantam), Dean Walsh (light welter).
Womens Boxing: Katie Taylor, Michaela Walsh, Ceire Smith.
