BBC NI at the Olympics

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist in Paris

Image source, Getty Images

The draw for the rowing has taken place for the six rowers from Northern Ireland in Paris - three men representing Team Ireland and three women competing for Team GB.

On Saturday, Philip Doyle from Banbridge will be the first in action along with partner Daire Lynch in the men’s double sculls.

The pair, who were seeded second, will race in heat three against defending Olympic champions France, Spain and Germany at 10:50 BST with the top three boats making the semi-finals.

Coleraine’s Hannah Scott will be the other Northern Ireland rower in action on Saturday at 11:50 BST in the heats of the quadruple sculls. As defending world champions they were the top seed and have the easier of the two heats and will line up against the USA, Switzerland and Germany with the top two going straight to next Wednesday’s final.

On Sunday, Rebecca Edwards from Aughnacloy and partner Chloe Brew will be in the third heat (09:40 BST) of the women’s pair and will be up against the Irish duo of Aifric Keogh and Fiona Murtagh as well as Romania and Czechia with the top 3 moving on the semi-finals and the fourth placed boat heading to the repechage.

Fermanagh’s Ross Corrigan and Nathan Timoney have a tough looking heat (10:00 BST) in the men’s pair with Switzerland, Spain, USA and New Zealand for company. Once again the top three progress directly to the semi-finals.

Finally in the women’s four, the Team GB boat, including Belfast’s Rebecca Shorten, were also seeded first and have drawn USA, Denmark, New Zealand and China with the top two advancing to the final. That heat takes place at 11:30 BST.

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Ireland will face Fiji in the quarter-finals of the Paris Olympics after being edged out by New Zealand 14-12 in a thrilling final Pool A match.

Zac Ward opened the scoring for Ireland after a blistering run out wide before Jordan Conroy touched down for a 12-0 lead at half-time.

Leroy Carter responded for New Zealand before Ngarohi McGarvey-Black's converted score on the buzzer gave New Zealand the win.

The sides were locked together heading into the Pool A decider at the Stade de France, but Ireland almost made the perfect start but 15s star Hugo Keenan dropped the ball with the try line gaping.

Ward's stunning solo score was followed by another impressive try by Conroy, who was injured in the process of touching down.

Carter immediately hit back at the start of the second half, but although Ireland controlled possession they could not find a score to see the game out.

However, New Zealand grabbed their final chance when McGarvey-Black dotted down and Andrew Knewstubb landed the excellent conversion.

"We came strong and put in a first-half performance that we were looking for. We just didn’t back it up," said Ireland's Hugo Keenan.

"If it wasn’t for a few mistakes and us not taking a few crucial chances, we could have to put it to bed.

"You just can’t make silly mistakes against the top teams. There were probably too many of them. I put my hand up for one or two of them."

Ireland's last-eight match with Fiji will take place at 21:00 BST.

"We know what they are capable of," added Keenan.

"They have the experience, but we know we can compete with anyone. There is a lot of belief within the group. We just know that we will have to put in a proper full-on performance to do it.

"We are exactly where we want to be - in a quarterfinal, competing for a medal. It’s a huge opportunity."

Image source, Getty Images

Team GB's Conor Hall will be seeded in 46th place for the elimination round of the men's individual archery after the opening ranking event.

The 28-year-old, who is making his Olympic debut, will face JC Valladont of France in the last-64 on Wednesday, 31 July.

Belfast archer Hall will also compete in the men's team event along with Tom Hall and Alex Wise, with Team GB ranking last in 12 place.

Team GB will face Chinese Taipei in the last-16 on Monday, 29 July.

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist in Paris

Image source, Inpho

Hockey Ireland have announced that men's head coach Mark Tumilty has agreed a four-year contract extension taking him to the end of 2028.

Tumilty, from Banbridge, was appointed head coach in September 2019.

The announcement comes two days ahead their opening Olympics match against Belgium.

"I am delighted to be leading the squad into the LA cycle. I feel this squad has still plenty of room for development and I am really excited to be working with them for another four years," said Tumilty.

Push back for Ireland’s game against Belgium at the Yves du Manoir Stadium on Saturday is 09:30 BST.

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist at Stade de France

Image source, Inpho

Day 2 of the rugby sevens is underway here at the Stade de France with top spot in Pool A to be decided between Ireland and New Zealand.

The game kicks-off at 15:30 BST and the winners are likely to have a much easier quarter-final later tonight.

If Ireland win they will face the eighth ranked team while the runners-up spot could see them taking on Fiji or France.

It’s a warm day in Paris with the current temperature a balmy 80 degrees.

Image source, Inpho

Ireland advanced to the quarter-finals of the Olympic Rugby Sevens with a pair of wins on the opening day of the tournament.

James Topping's squad were the first representatives in action at the 2024 Games for Team Ireland and booked their spot in the the knock-outs with a game to spare thanks to victories over South Africa and Japan.

After finishing 10th at the delayed Tokyo Games three years ago, Ireland ran in eight tries across Wednesday's play, beating South Africa 10-5 before crossing for six scores to get the better of Japan by a score of 40-5.

Ireland will now face New Zealand in their final pool game at 15:30 BST on Thursday before the knock-outs begin in the evening session.

After the earlier victory against South Africa, Topping had the luxury of rotating his panel for the game against Japan, ensuring all 12 squad members had featured come the final whistle of the 40-5 victory.

Terry Kennedy was the star of the first half against the Brave Blossoms, following up his earlier try against South Africa by scoring the opener in the game's first minute.

He would then create the second from well inside his own territory, breaking from deep after a period of Japanese pressure and unselfishly switching the ball inside to Chay Mullins for the score just before half-time.

Early in the second half, Harry McNulty's intercept try put Ireland in a comfortable position and Topping turned to his bench to see out the win.

Among the replacements were Leinster full-back Hugo Keenan, but it was his fellow substitute Niall Comerford who was next across the whitewash, scoring after McNulty had found his run back against the grain.

Mullins would get his second of the night as Ireland attacked straight from the restart, although Japan responded through Shotaru Tsuoka.

Bryn Ward would ensure Ireland had the final say however, the replacement using a huge fend to create the space for his try in the closing moments.

In their earlier victory over the Blitzboks, Jordan Conroy's try with the final play of the first half had given Ireland a 5-0 lead at the break.

Kennedy scored a second try with two minutes remaining but South Africa set up a grandstand finish when Shelvyn Davids squeezed over the line with 30 seconds left.

Image source, Getty Images

The opening ceremony for the Paris Olympics may not take place until Friday, but the first athletes from Team Ireland are in action well before the big showpiece on the River Seine.

It's not only an early start, but an early medal chance. Ireland finished second in the 2023-24 World SVNS Series table - ending up just two points behind winners Argentina.

In the Grand final they finished fifth, but consistency was key throughout their campaign.

"We finished second in the World Series, so I don't think a medal is out of our thoughts," said Zac Ward, the first athlete from Northern Ireland in action in Paris.

"We're planning on taking a medal as we have a good group to get through, then it is a semi-final and final; you win three games and you're guaranteed a medal."

Ireland's women's team are also in action in Paris, but they don't begin their bid for a medal until Sunday.

Ireland's men's fixtures (times BST)

South Africa (Wednesday 24 July - 16:30)

Japan (Wednesday 24 July - 20:00)

New Zealand (Thursday 25 July - 15:30)

Image source, Getty Images

It's almost time.

The 2024 Olympics in Paris are just around the corner and BBC Sport NI is ready to bring you the best of the action.

There are 38 athletes from Northern Ireland heading to France to compete in the Games - 32 for Team Ireland and six for Team GB.

This is the definitive place to keep up to date with their progress, with this rolling page having updates, reports and reaction with those who aim to make history in Paris.

The last Olympic gold medal from Northern Ireland came in 1988, and athletes heading to Paris are tipped to earn more than the sole bronze medal from the delayed Tokyo Olympics three years ago.

We will also bring you news of wider success for Team Ireland, with several athletes contenders for a medal.

For now, scroll down and have a look at some of the big feature interviews we have done with athletes from Northern Ireland heading to Paris.