Two Paris Olympic boxers have been unveiled as Olympic Federation of Ireland Dare to Believe Ambassadors.

92kg Jack Marley (Monkstown BC Dublin ) and 57kg Jude Gallagher (Two Castles Olympic BC, Tyrone) join two time Olympic champion Kellie Harrington, Paris Olympian Dean Clancy, double Olympian and Tokyo medalist Aidan Walsh and Paris Olympian Grainne Walsh as Dare to Believe Ambassadors. Boxers make up just under 20% of the Ambassador group.

Olympic boxer Grainne Walsh has been a Dare to Believe ambassador since 2019, and speaking about the impact of the programme on the community from a school visit to Mullingar Educate Together National School, Walsh said “I’ve been a Dare to Believe ambassador since day one, and my journey has grown so much since then. I love visiting the schools to inspire kids because I know how much I would have valued this at their age. It’s all about paving the way for the next generation, passing the baton, and showing them that anything is possible with belief and hard work. Honestly, I get as much from these visits as the kids do. I leave every school feeling fully of positivity and ready to smash my next challenge, so it works both ways. I try to share with the students that setbacks happen, I’ve had my fair share of them, but you have to find a way of getting over them, and believing in yourself. When you do that, success is all the sweeter.”

Sponsored by Allianz Ireland and developed with the support of the IOC Olympic Solidarity Fund, the Olympic Federation of Ireland schools programme aims to inspire the young people of Ireland to ‘Dare to Believe’ in themselves through an interactive curriculum that explores the Olympic Values using Team Ireland role models to bring the messages to life. As it moves into its third phase, thirty-one athlete ambassadors will visit schools across Ireland telling their stories of resilience and teaching students how to set goals, adopt healthy lifestyles through sport, and how sport can be used as a positive societal tool. Resource packs that cover the Olympic Values of Respect & Equality, Healthy Mind & Body, Joy of Effort and Striving for Excellence are sent to schools to prepare for the Dare to Believe Ambassador’s visit. All materials are user-friendly, completely free and are developed in line with the Irish school’s curriculum strands for teachers.

Registration for the Dare to Believe programme is free of charge and all details can be found on www.daretobelieve.ie for both primary and secondary curriculums.