BBC NI at the Olympics

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Team Ireland rowers Philip Doyle and Daire Lynch have comfortably won their heat on Saturday morning to advance to the semi-finals of the men's double sculls.

The pair will take part in the semi-finals on Tuesday at 10:10 BST.

The duo's heat time of 6:13.24 was the fastest recorded in the morning heats, with the Netherlands boat second quickest on 6:14.31and then Spain on 6:16.17.

Banbridge man Doyle is competing in his second Olympics, having participated in Tokyo three years ago.

Doyle and Lynch qualified for the Paris Games as they took bronze at the World Championships in Belgrade in September 2023.

The Ireland women’s double sculls crew of Alison Bergin and Zoe Hyde finished third in their heat to also progress to Tuesday morning's semi-finals.

Their time of 6:52.61 saw them come home behind heat winners France (6:48.89) and Australia (6:49.21).

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist at Yves-de-Manoir Stadium

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It‘s lashing down in Paris for the first full day of competition.

The hockey is getting underway at the Yves-de-Manoir Stadium in the north west suburb of Colombes.

Ireland’s men take on the defending Olympic champions Belgium in Pool A at 0930 BST.

This is the site of the 1924 Olympic Stadium so you feel touched by history that this is the place were Harold Abrahams and Eric Liddell won their gold medals in the 100m and 400m respectively.

Their story was chronicled in the 1981 Oscar winning film Chariots of Fire, incidentally the first film I ever went to see in the cinema.

It also saw Ireland parade at the opening ceremony as an independent nation for the first time.

Back to the hockey and Ireland beat Belgium twice recently in the FIH Pro League.

Can they do it again?

Andy Gray
BBC Sport NI Journalist in Paris

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After arriving in Paris today, you can immediately sense the buzz around the city. Paris is more than ready...despite the weather.

The streets are lined with the vibrant colours of different nationalities, including some Brazilian fans dancing up the street and a crowd of Americans giving shouts of 'USA, USA, USA!' which are echoing off the historic Paris buildings.

The first people I bumped into was the family of Dean Clancy, who is the first of 10 Irish boxers in the ring.

Given he is fighting tomorrow he won't be at the ceremony, but his family are looking forward to tonight's festivities before heading to watch Dean in action tomorrow.

Boxing is the most successful sport in Ireland's history and more medals are expected to come during these Games.

You can follow the opening ceremony here.

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Shane Lowry and Sarah Lavin have been chosen as Team Ireland's flagbearers at the opening ceremony for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Golfer Lowry and track athlete Lavin will lead their team out at Friday evening's ceremony (18:30 BST), which takes place along a stretch of the River Seine.

"It's surreal and the greatest honour I've ever been given," said hurdles runner Lavin, who competed at the Tokyo Games three years ago.

"I'm so grateful to those who have trusted me and put me in this position. It's emotional as well. There are a lot of people you are representing.

"I'm deeply touched and just so excited to get out there."

Lowry, who also competed in Tokyo, said: "It's a huge honour for me and my family. Anybody who knows me knows how much I love Ireland and how much I love playing for my country.

"I always wear the Irish flag with pride and to get to do something like this is something I'll remember forever."

Diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover, who will compete alongside Belfast's Rebecca Shorten, have been selected as the flag bearers for Team GB.

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist at the Stade de France

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Ireland head coach James Topping was left frustrated with errors that cost his side a place in the Olympic semi-finals after a 19-15 defeat by Fiji in the last eight.

They had led the back-to-back gold medallists by 15-7 in the second half but would let slip their second two-score advantage of the day after an earlier pool-stage defeat to New Zealand.

“You make mistakes against those guys and they're going to score," Topping told BBC Sport NI after the defeat.

“Any time that ball is on the ground or it's loose, they've got the ability to pick it up and score. And they did that there against us.

“We were two scores ahead, but you can't control the game against those guys, you can't just think, I'll try and just hold out.

“You've got to keep pressing the whole time, and with us trying to do that, we're likely to make errors,” explained Topping.

The head coach would not be drawn on video evidence that appeared to show a knock-on in the build up to Fiji's third try.

The incident was not referred to the video match official.

“If you looked back at it and made a comment about all the decisions then there would be a lot of different results, so we’ve got to catch that kick-off and make it very simple.

“If it’s a knock-on then, well maybe that’s something to take a look at and see because that’s what decides the game and at the end of the day there is a lot of hope and aspirations on players shoulders.

“And we’d like to get the right result at the end of the day. I wasn’t close enough to see it but from my point of view, we should have caught the kick-off.”

Ireland's hopes of a first Olympic medal in rugby sevens are over following a 19-15 defeat to Fiji in the quarter-finals at the Stade de France.

James Topping's side had led the back-to-back gold medallists by 15-7 in the second half but would let slip their second two-score advantage of the day after an earlier pool-stage defeat to New Zealand.

In what was Ireland's first quarter-final at this level, Fiji had the game's first score within the first minute of the contest.

Iosefo Baleiwairiki fended off the tackle of Niall Comerford to make the key break and finished off the try despite a spirited chase from Chay Mullins.

It was Mullins who would drag Ireland back into the game, scoring a double before half-time to put his side ahead at the break despite both tries going unconverted.

His second felt especially timely, coming just before the interval and from an attack where Ireland had looked to be drifting towards the touchline before Mullins took on Gavin Mullin's pass and burst through the tackle to score.

In the second half, Zac Ward, who has been in excellent form in Paris, put Ireland eight points ahead with an opportunistic finish down the blindside of a ruck after his own strong carry had advanced his side to within a metre of the whitewash.

Image source, Inpho

But the same missed tackles that plagued Ireland against New Zealand earlier on Thursday started to creep back into their game and Selestino Ravutaumada shrugged off defenders too easily before sending Waisea Nacuqu over for the try to bring Fiji back into things.

When Ireland made a mess of the restart, after 15s star Hugo Keenan was caught underneath the high ball, Terio Tamani capitalised for what proved to be the winning score.

Fijian indiscipline would allow Ireland a last opportunity to snatch victory but, into the fourth minute of added time, a knock-on would end their challenge and medal ambitions.

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Aidan Walsh, the only athlete from Northern Ireland to win a medal at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, will face France's Mankan Traore in his last-32 bout in Paris.

The Belfast welterweight earned bronze in the delayed Games but injured his ankle celebrating and was unable to fight in his semi-final.

His sister Michaela, who is also embarking on her second Games, will face Bulgarian Svetlana Staneva in the last-16, having received a bye in the last-32 of the women's 57kg.

In what is his Olympic debut, Jude Gallagher, 22, has also received a bye in the last-32 and will fight Carlo Paalam of the Philippines in the last-16.

Reigning women's 60kg champion Kellie Harrington, who is seeded third, awaits the winner of the last-32 meeting of Italy's Alessia Mesiano and Gizem Ozer of Turkey.

Daina Moorehouse has a bye in the last-32 of the women's flyweight and will fight France's Wassila Lkhadriri in the last-16, while Jennifer Lehane also advances straight to the same stage of the women's 54kg against Yuan Chang of China.

In the women's 75kg, Aoife O'Rourke has been handed a last-16 bout with Poland's Elzbieta Wojcik.

Women's welterweight Grainne Walsh has been paired with Anna Luca Hamori of Hungary in the last-32, while heavyweight Jack Marley meets Poland's Mateusz Bereznicki in the last-16.

Men's lightweight Dean Clancy has been drawn against Obada Alkasbeh in the last-32.

Nigel Ringland
BBC Sport NI Senior Journalist in Paris

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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."

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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.

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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)

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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.