BEIJING ONE YEAR TO GO - TEAM IRELAND ATHLETES TARGETING QUALIFICATION

With one year to go, Team Ireland athletes are currently competing in events around the world with an eye on the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing, which run from the 4-20 February 2022. In Pyeongchang in 2018, a five strong team flew the flag for Ireland at the Winter Games, and currently athletes across nine disciplines are targeting Beijing 2022. To celebrate Beijing One Year to Go we have developed a status guideline book which will be updated regularly to reflect the status and developments of these athletes over the coming months.

Beijing was awarded the hosting of the Games in 2015, and in doing so will become the first city in the world to have hosted both the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. Its 2022 vision of ‘Joyful Rendezvous upon Pure Ice and Snow’ aims to build on the legacies of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games and will include 109 events across seven Olympic winter sports.

The sports have been split into three distinct zones, with the hopes for Irish athletes to feature across all zones. Ice Skating takes place in central Beijing, while Yanqing, a suburb 80km to the northwest, plays host to the Alpine Skiing, Skeleton and Luge. All other snow events, including Snowboarding and Cross Country Skiing, take place in Zhangjiakou which is further north in the Hubei province.

Celebrating Beijing One Year to Go, Team Ireland Chef de Mission Nancy Chillingworth said:

"This time next year we are looking forward to bringing the magic of the Winter Olympics to the Irish when Team Ireland compete in Beijing 2022. In Ireland, we often don’t see the hours of training and immense dedication of our winter athletes who compete year in and out, but at the Olympic Games every four years, we get to showcase our best. What our team looks like will become clearer in the coming months, but from what we are seeing from some of our athletes in terms of personal bests and world class performances this year, is promising.

"Just last month Cross Country skier Thomas Westgard finished ninth in a top class field at a world event, Brendan Doyle last weekend medaled at an American Cup, and in Alpine Skiing athletes like Cormac Comerford and Alex Scott are racing well and their progress is tracking well for Beijing. This all bodes well for next year, and we are looking forward to following their journeys."

Over the coming days we will be sharing videos and photos of our current and past athletes, which you can find on our social channels (links below).

Twitter: @TeamIreland

Instagram: @team_ireland_olympic

Facebook: @teamirelandolympic

YouTube: OlympicIRL

Website: www.olympics.ie

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