European Games: Irish Olympic ambitions on the line in Poland

Kellie Harrington has won Olympic, World and European gold medals for Ireland in boxing

Boxing, athletics and canoeing mentioned in the same breath as handball and padel. On the one hand Olympic qualification at stake, on the other a platform to showcase newer sports.

The European Games offers an eclectic mix of traditional Olympic sports with huge rewards on offer for some, alongside more fledgling sports, looking to establish themselves in the hope of securing a place in future Olympic Games.

The event is an important stepping-stone for the continent's athletes on the road to the Olympic Games - for several sports it represents their European championships, and for many competitors the incentive of early qualification for Paris 2024 is on offer.

Team Ireland will send 121 athletes to compete in 17 different sports for the third edition of the Games in Krakow and the region of Malopolska in Poland from 20 June to 2 July 2023.

Here is the lowdown on some of the biggest names taking part.

Road to Paris

For boxing and rugby sevens, there is a chance in Poland to seal a spot for Paris 2024.

The Irish squad of 12 boxers - six men and six women - will be led by Tokyo Olympic champion Kellie Harrington.

Alongside fellow Olympians Michaela Walsh and Aoife O'Rourke, and Commonwealth, European and former World champion Amy Broadhurst it's a strong women's line-up completed by newcomers Daina Moorhouse and Jennifer Lehane.

In all weight categories, except 75kg, which is O'Rourke's division, the four semi-finalists will all clinch a place at next summer's Olympics with only the finalists at 75kg qualifying.

It's a new-look men's squad with Tokyo bronze medallist Aidan Walsh missing through injury, and Brendan Irvine and Kurt Walker having moved on.

Commonwealth champion Jude Gallagher gets his opportunity while Dean Walsh, who beat Aidan Walsh in the Irish Nationals in January, has earned a chance as well. Sean Mari, Dean Clancy, Kelyn Cassidy and Jack Marley make up the squad.

Mari, Cassidy and Marley will all have to make their respective finals to qualify for Paris while a semi-final place will enough for the others.

Ireland had a squad of seven boxers in Tokyo and the expectations would be to at least match that number with a world qualification event next year providing a second chance for those who don't qualify through the continental tournaments.

Dean Walsh (left) beat Jon McConnell to win the Irish title in the Irish Nationals in January

With the women making history by qualifying for the Olympics through the World Rugby Sevens Series, attention will turn to the Ireland men in Poland with the winners of the tournament clinching the one place available for Paris 2024.

The Irish squad in Krakow will be boosted by the inclusion of Terry Kennedy, who was named 2022 World Rugby Men's Sevens Player of the Year and also includes Ballynahinch's Zac Ward, son of former Ireland and Ulster player Andy Ward.

The team is coached by another former Ulster favourite, James Topping. Their main opposition will come from Rio 2016 silver medallists Great Britain but Georgia and Spain shouldn't be written off either.

Skeet shooter Jack Fairclough finished fifth in the 2018 Commonwealth Games when he competed for England. With Irish roots, including his mum Alison who is from County Down, he made the transfer last year to compete for Ireland and will make his first appearance in Poland.

He'll be chasing the one place available for Paris 2024 to an athlete not already qualified.

Out to make an impact in Europe

Henderson reached the final of the BMX freestyle event at last year's European Championships in Munich

Some other sports have Olympic points available on the road to Paris. Watch out for Belfast's Ryan Henderson in the BMX Freestyle. Henderson impressed at last year's European Championships when he became the first Irish athlete to compete in the event, finishing in 10th position. The winner of this competition will automatically qualify for the Olympics.

Chris Dawson, also from Belfast, has enjoyed considerable success both off-road and in road cycling. He also represented Ireland in the UCI Cycling eSports World Championships earlier this year. Also a European Championship event, the Mountain Biking will offer valuable ranking points.

Also in this event will be Cameron Orr who finished fourth for Northern Ireland at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games last year. Orr will represent Team GB in Poland, as will archer Monty Orton.

Fencer Jadryn Dick will make his Ireland debut in Poland after transferring from Australia where he was a two-time national champion. His grandparents immigrated from Belfast in the late 1950s and settled near Freemantle. Jadryn took up the sport after seeing it on the James Bond film 'Die Another Day'.

Three of the four-strong Ireland triathlon team are from Ulster. Lisburn's James Edgar is joined by Luke McCarron from Newtownards while Erin McConnell from Derry will compete alongside Tokyo Olympian Carolyn Hayes. As well as the individual events the quartet will team up for the mixed relay.

Other Northern Ireland athletes representing Team Ireland are Emma Davis from Keady in archery, Rachael Darragh, who represented Northern Ireland in the 2018 Commonwealth Games, will lead the badminton team and Belfast duo Alistair McCreery and Jake Cochrane in canoe slalom.

Olatunde out to impress new coach Malcolm

While there are no Olympic ramifications in athletics, it is still an important event for Ireland.

This is a European Team Championships, with Ireland sending a full delegation of 44 athletes. While athletics has been a part of the past two European Games programmes, this is the first time that it features athletes across all three divisions.

Ireland are competing in Division 3, with the main objective of the team being to gain enough points to move into Division 2. A full athletics programme of action will feature, and the Irish team boasts the likes of Tom Barr, Sarah Lavin, Sharlene Mawdsley and Israel Olatunde.

It is be the first outing for the Athletics Ireland athletes under new sprint coach Christian Malcolm.

Israel Olatunde had to settle for second place in the men's 100m on Tuesday

The third division features the following countries: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Malta, Montenegro, Georgia, Armenia, Andorra, Republic of North Macedonia, San Marino, Albania, AASSE (Athletic Association of Small States of Europe), Azerbaijan, Kosovo, Austria, Ireland, Israel.

Olatunde and Mawdsley were among the Irish track and fielders in action on day one of the Games as Team Ireland produced predominantly solid performances to lie in second place - three points behind Austria.

Mawdsley was Ireland's only winner on day one as she won the women's 400m in her second fastest ever time of 51.55 seconds.

Olatunde was among four Irish performers to finish second in his event although his time of 10.37 seconds continued his relatively slow start to the season as he was pipped by 0.01 seconds by Austria's Markus Fuchs.

Other Irish second placers included women's hammer thrower Nicola Tuthill who set a personal best and national under-23 record of 67.85 metres.

Finley Daly (8:51.41) and Michaela Walsh (15.26m) also earned second spots in the men's 3,000m steeplechase and women's shot put while there were third-place finishes for City of Lisburn's Lauren Roy (11.82) in the women's 100m, Rocco Zaman-Browne (men's 800m 1:50.16), Jack Raftery (men's 400m 46.76) and Aoibhe Richardson (women's 5,000m 16:45.02).

Niamh Fogarty (51.24m) and Michael Bowler (4.30m) finished fourth in the women's discus and men's pole vault while Jai Benson was seventh in the men's triple jump with a mark of 14.84m.