THE Paris Olympics kicks off in earnest tomorrow and Ireland has more medal hopefuls than ever.
For the first Games ever, the opening ceremony is not inside a stadium, and instead it will take place on the River Seine.
It is also the first Games to take place in Europe since London 2012 and more than 10,000 Irish fans are expected to make the trip to cheer on stars such as 400 metres ace Rhasidat Adeleke and boxer Kellie Harrington.
The pair are among 133 Irish athletes competing for glory, across 15 sports.
Here, Michael Doyle gives the lowdown on the Paris 2024 showcase…
AN exclusive Team Ireland House has been set up at O’Sullivan’s By The Mill on Boulevard de Clichy, next to the famous Moulin Rouge cabaret.
Irish stars The Coronas, Sharon Shannon and Mundy will all perform in the Irish bar across the two weeks, with nightly entertainment and watch parties for supporters.
Bar owner Thomas St John reckons it will be the place to be for Irish fans.
The Dubliner said: “We’re used to hosting Irish rugby fans when Ireland play France here in the Six Nations but we hope this will be bigger and we’ll be able to celebrate many Irish medals.”
Olympic ambassadors Sonia O’Sullivan, Kenneth Egan, Greg O’Shea and Rob Heffernan will also be mingling with fans.
Catherine Tiernan, commercial director of the Olympics Federation of Ireland (OFI), hopes thousands of Irish fans visit the Team Ireland House.
She said: “We’ll be open from 9am in O’Sullivans where fans will be able to get breakfast, then we’ll close from about 4pm and re-open to tickets from 5pm for the night. We’re hoping the fans bring the craic to Paris.
“There’ll be live music for 18 nights, with acts like The Coronas, Sharon Shannon and Mundy. But tickets are disappearing fast so we’d urge fans to get theirs.”
Friday’s Olympic opening ceremony takes place on the River Seine from 6.30pm Irish time and floats past the Eiffel Tower.
This Games is expected to see the biggest Irish travelling contingent since the London 2012 Olympics.
As well as the party at O’Sullivans By the Mill, there will also be celebrations at the Irish Cultural Centre and the Irish Family House in Paris during the Games.
Expensive digs
Some hotels are flogging rooms for up to €1,000 a night but many fans have advance-booked AirBnB digs.
Finnish firm Elamys is the official travel firm for the OFI, after helping the small number of Irish fans who travelled to the Winter Olympics in Japan in 2018.
Managing Director Jussi Viskari says the firm has sold thousands of packages to Irish trippers, but still has lots left, adding: “We like to focus on ordinary fans. We have sold many hospitality packages, too, but plenty of affordable ones.
“We have been trying to get tickets for events that really interest Irish people. Many people wanted athletics as they did so well in the European Championships.
“Paris will be brilliant because so many events are taking place, beside landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower.”
