Representing Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympics – Niall’s story – Part 2

In August we learned more about friend of The Panel, Niall Comerford as he recounted his initial reactions soon after returning from Paris with Ireland Rugby 7s. Now three months after the games, Niall reflects on some of the wider aspects of the Olympics, Rugby 7s and the future ahead. The story is insightful and once again Niall speaks with our Marketing Manager Mal Convery to share this once in a lifetime adventure.

Something special for the Olympians – Samsung Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition

You may or may not have heard of this, but one item that caught the attention of spectators and fans worldwide during the Olympics was the Galaxy Z Flip6 Olympic Edition — the phone Samsung specially designed for all athletes participating in this year’s Olympic and Paralympic Games. Niall tells us that all the athletes received a new Olympic Samsung phone upon arrival at the Olympic Village.

One of most noticeable aspect of the phone was the yellow colour reminiscent of the Olympic Gold. The Olympic and Paralympic emblems as well as the Samsung logo are engraved on the back of the device. Athletes captured their moments of glory on the Olympic Games podium through victory selfies taken using the foldable device.

The cover screen and main display align with the colours of the Olympic flag for added fun. The theme on the cover screen depicts a running track from an athlete’s perspective to celebrate the significance of competing in the Olympics.

Olympians celebrated in events at Áras and Dublin Castle

Niall tells us that on September 13th the Irish Olympians were honoured at two events in Dublin following their record-breaking performance in Paris in July and August. President Michael D. Higgins and his wife Sabina hosted a morning reception at Áras an Uachtaráin for many of the Irish medallists, athletes and coaches from the Paris 2024 Games.

Niall said that when chatting to President Higgins you could see that he was a real sports fan showing a keen knowledge and interest in our games. He reminded us that each of our efforts at the games has brought enormous joy to all those watching across our island and beyond and has been a source of pride and encouragement. The President thought it was fitting that all these achievements occurred 100 years after Ireland’s first appearance as an independent nation at the Olympic Games in 1924, which also took place in Paris when Jack Butler Yeats won silver in the Painting competition and Oliver St. John Gogarty took home a bronze medal in the Literature event.

Yes, for the first four decades of Olympic competition, medals were awarded for painting, sculpture, architecture, literature and music, alongside those for athletic pursuits.

The morning reception was followed in the afternoon by an official reception organised by the Olympic Federation of Ireland in the Printworks building at Dublin Castle. An Taoiseach, Simon Harris, and the First Minister of Northern Ireland, Michelle O’Neill and Tánaiste Michael Martin recognised the athletes’ performances at the event. An Taoiseach, Simon Harris impressed on the athletes that each one of them had lit a fire in the next generation and had left a lasting legacy in Irish sport and that he watched on in awe at the talent and tenacity displayed throughout the games.

The athletes were presented with a Team Ireland Olympic sterling silver bracelet from Tipperary as a memento of Paris 2024. Niall said the event which included their families and friends was a great way for the entire team to get recognition and to celebrate together.

Special Olympics World Winter Games – Turin 2025 – Supporting our Athletes

Niall tells us that he was recently involved with Mental Health Ireland and Rugby Players Ireland as they teamed up to support Special Olympics Team Ireland at an enjoyable event in Dublin. Tackle Your Feelings is a mental health and well-being campaign, which supports individuals proactively looking after their mental well-being.

Niall joined a panel including Sports Psychologist Steven McIvor (former IRFU & Paralympic Sports Psychologist), Kathy Baker (Ireland Women’s Olympic Rugby Sevens), Claire Flynn (Mental Health Ireland), Margaret Turley (Special Olympics World Health Ambassador), and athlete Lorcan Daly. Niall said he enjoyed the event and agrees that to grow sport for everyone we need to embrace inclusion and diversity and find pathways for all to enter sports.

Special Olympics Team Ireland will be training hard over the next few months as they are getting ready to represent Ireland in Floorball and Alpine Skiing at the Special Olympics World Winter Games in Turin, Italy in March 2025.

Niall and The Panel wish our Special Olympic athletes all the best in Turin 2025.

What’s next in the Rugby 7s team plans?

Niall explains that for many players after an Olympic cycle, it is about considering what they will do next, here are his and Ireland’s 7s plans over the short, medium and long term.

The short-term – study and play in 2024/25

The team returned to training in September with a focus on the HSBC SVNS 2024/25 season which starts in Dubai in December. Following a record-breaking Olympics for rugby sevens, World Rugby has confirmed the first five destinations and dates of the highly anticipated HSBC SVNS 2025.

Dubai and Cape Town in December 2024, Perth (Jan ‘25), Vancouver (Feb ‘25) and Hong Kong (March ‘25) are confirmed as host destinations, with more to be confirmed shortly.

For those that were glued to the Olympics this initial schedule release allows fans to organise their calendars and get prepared to see the stars of the Olympics shine again in some of the world’s most iconic stadiums and destinations.

In parallel to sports Niall tells us that he has started a Master’s in Aviation Finance at UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School.

“I was honoured to be selected as a UCD Graduate Sports Scholar for 2024/25. The UCD Sports Scholarship will provide benefits, mentoring and support to allow me to continue to achieve at the highest levels of both academics and sports”.

The scholarship combines sports participation with academic work in an ideal environment within the University and will allow him to balance the time available to ensure that neither academic nor sporting interests are compromised.

The medium-term – are we missing an opportunity?

The medium-term plan would normally mean a Rugby 7s World Cup in Summer 2026. Ireland collected a memorable bronze medal at the last World Cup in 2022 in Capetown in South Africa. However, as of yet, World Rugby has not announced a time or venue for the competition with many people questioning if it will proceed at all in 2026.

Following Rugby 7s celebrated ‘coming of age’ on the Olympic stage in Paris Niall feels it would be a missed opportunity not to build on the success through another global tournament to build the game. Rugby 7s was a record breaking triumph at Paris 2024 with more than 530,000 fans filling Stade de France and tens of millions watching around the globe.

Niall tells us that he understands that World Rugby is trying to agree on a global calendar and this is complex however somewhere in this complexity the sensational demand for one of their products has been forgotten.

As regards the possibility of Ireland coming on the SVNS calendar – Niall has read a lot of commentary from former players including HSBC ambassador Brian O’Dricsoll and several journalists. O’Driscoll said he was blown away at the HSBC SVNS Grand Final in Madrid in June and has urged the IRFU to push to host the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Ireland in a bid to grow the sport.

“Sevens has been a big success this year, and if you think about how competitive the men’s and women’s teams have been, and it is seeping into Irish fans’ consciousness – success helps with that. Continued competitiveness will lead people to pay more attention to it.”

While the odds seem stacked against the tournament happening – Niall feels that a three-day Rugby 7s World Cup at a single venue in Dublin in 2026 is not beyond our capabilities. With some innovative thinking across government, sports bodies and sponsors including the social media platforms – all with European HQ in Ireland – this could drive a corporate Ireland project focused on delivering a successful event.

The long term – All roads lead to the USA, it would seem.

Looking at Irish 7s rugby long-term plan, Niall speaks of plans not just in this decade, but also into the next decade. Here are three major sporting events that the USA will host.

• LA 28 Olympics (including Rugby 7s)
• Rugby World Cup 2031 (15s Men’s)
• Rugby World Cup 2033 (15s Women)

Niall refers to media outlets such as the Daily Telegraph, who states that – rugby’s global economy is currently reliant on the UK and French markets to generate 60 percent of the revenue, it is seen as critical to expand the sport into the USA to ensure long-term growth. They project that the USA is the future of the sport.

For further context – with 800,000 players and 3,100 rugby clubs currently ⁠in the USA (similar to the playing population in the UK) an important 10-year strategic plan underpins the USA investment. Events like Ireland and All Blacks in 2025 potentially back in Chicago form part of exposing USA audiences to elite teams. The forecast return for the 2031 World Cup is a surplus of £800 million, compared to the £470 million generated in France in 2023.

The women’s game is also seen as having potential for major growth, following the US bronze medal in the Olympic sevens’ tournament which prompted businesswoman and investor Michele Kang to donate $4 million to the team’s programme, while their star 7s player Ilona Maher has a huge social media presence and celebrity status in America. The US is due to host the Women’s World Cup in 2033.

Breaking it down further

As regards Los Angeles 2028, Niall tells us that if the criteria remain the same as for Paris there will be three chances to qualify for Rugby 7s the LA games.

1. Hosts USA will be joined by the top four positions of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in June 2027. For Paris, this was New Zealand, Argentina, Fiji and Australia
   Six regional federation tournament winners also qualify during the summer of 2027. For Paris, the regional winners were Uruguay (South America), Ireland (Europe), USA (North America), Kenya (Africa), Samoa (Oceania) and Japan (Asia).
2. The last remaining place at the Olympics will be decided about one month before the LA games. The World Rugby Sevens Repechage in Monaco brings together the silver and bronze teams from the above regional tournaments. They play off over one weekend in a winner takes all scenario for the final 12th place at the games. South Africa secured the final place for Paris.

Rugby 7s has proved to be a hot ticket for the Paris 2024 Games – long may the success continue.

On behalf of The Panel, well done Niall and well done to both the Irish men’s and the Irish women’s 7s teams, we will be following you all in SVSNS 2024/25!

Here are links to our previous articles featuring Niall:

• Representing Ireland at the Paris 2024 Olympics – Niall’s story – Part 1 (August 2024)
• Interview with Niall Comerford, one of Ireland’s International Rugby Sevens Players (June 2024)

Gallery (click on the first image to see the full gallery): Photos via David Fitzgerald and Tyler Miller / Sportsfile