Pauric Lodge’s outstanding analyses on RTÉ during the rowing sessions have been a significant shift from his regular reporting at various Gaelic venues across the nation.
However, Lodge couldn’t help but draw a small comparison between the open-air seating conditions of Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium and Limerick’s Gaelic Grounds, both vulnerable to weather elements like rain and, in this instance, sunshine.
There was another connection to GAA at the Olympic fan zone at Chateau Vincennes in Paris. Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and women’s Gaelic football were showcased as part of a sports festival, with the local Paris Gaels GAA Club displaying the games.
It’s not the first time hurling has been spotlighted at the Olympics. The 1904 Games in St Louis featured hurling as part of an unofficial programme, with the Innisfail Hurling Club from the host city taking the crown.
There has been a controversy ignited by a tweet from the Central Statistics Office of Ireland. This tweet highlighted the high participation rate from Skibbereen at the Paris Games, with one in 725 residents compared to the national average of one in 39,000. The issue arises from the accompanying graphic, which displayed Skibbereen in red along with Northern Ireland – unrelated to the statistics – while rest of the Republic of Ireland was shown in white. Social media users responded with a cascade of criticism, decrying the tweet as “bizarre”, “insulting”, “tone deaf”, “shameful” and even “partitionist”, alongside more vibrant language expressing their disapproval.
The map was subsequently rectified and re-uploaded by the CSO. The swimming pool for the Paris Olympics seems to pose a challenge for athletes aiming for new records. Just three years ago, during the Tokyo Olympics, swimming saw the addition of five new world records. However, this number might not be reached in Paris due to an unexpected problem – the pool’s depth.
Constructed in La Défense Arena, which is a combination of exceptional engineering and architecture, the pool regularly hosts the Racing 92 rugby team and concerts, including a series in May by Taylor Swift. The pool was crafted by Italian firm Piscine Castiglione, which also constructed pools for Atlanta, Beijing, London, Rio, and Tokyo. However, the depth of the pool in Paris is 2.15 metres, making it slightly shallower than the pool in Tokyo, which might be an issue for swimmers who generally prefer deeper, calmer waters.
The uncanny coincidence in Andy Murray’s tennis career was also brought up. The last game of his inspiring professional journey was eerily familiar. Murray, who started his journey at a modest community tennis centre in Dunblane, had a career filled with triumphs, which included being awarded Grand Slams and Olympic gold medals in 2012 and 2016. His retirement match, however, brought an unusual focus to the number 77, as pointed out by his mother Judy. As she related on social media, his final match spanned 77 minutes. The Wimbledon 2013 win was on 7/7, it had been 77 years since a Brit had won the men’s singles, and son’s management company’s name was 77; a peculiar fact indeed.
In her words, American surfer Carissa Moore expressed regret over her performance during the Tahiti title defence heats. Relating that if she could have clung onto her last wave, she might have taken the heat. However, she accepted her mistake and stated she wouldn’t dwell on it.
In numbers: 12
Carlos Alcaraz of Spain has continued his winning streak in singles matches. This undefeated series began during his victorious campaign at Wimbledon and has now reached 12 matches following a triumph in the Olympic semi-finals against Felix Auger-Aliassime from Canada.