P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:54 RTE 1/8 Maloney Westgaard to carry flag 20 Feb 2022 11:26 Cross-country skiier Thomas Maloney Westgaard has been named as the flagbearer for Team Ireland in the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympic Games in Beijing. Participating in his second Winter Olympic Games, Maloney Westgaard placed a highly impressive 14th in the Cross- Country 15km Classic and 29th in the 50k mass start. Born in Norway, Maloney Westgaard holds dual Norwegian-Irish citizenship through his Irish mother and began competing for Ireland at the 2016 World Cup. SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA
P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:12 RTE 2/8 Maloney Westgaard to carry flag 20 Feb 2022 11:26 Reacting to the news, Maloney Westgaard said it would be an emotional day. "Wow, first of all it's a massive feeling. It hasn t really sunk in yet, but I know that going out to the Bird s Nest, there will be a lot of emotions. "Everyone has been so supportive during these Games. We might be one of the smallest teams, but we are one of the best in terms of spirit and supporting each other." SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA
P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:18 RTE 3/8 Maloney Westgaard to carry flag 20 Feb 2022 11:26 "Wow, first of all it's a massive feeling. It hasn t really sunk in yet, but I know that going out to the Bird s Nest, there will be a lot of emotions. Thomas Maloney Westgaard has been named as the flagbearer for #TeamIreland in the Closing Ceremony of #Beijing2022 at noon ???? pic.twitter.com/X11mvHcQgB Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Beijing Nancy Chillingworth said it was appropriate that Maloney Westgaard was given the honour. SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA
P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:24 RTE 4/8 Maloney Westgaard to carry flag 20 Feb 2022 11:26 "It is a very fitting appointment, Thomas has been so integral to this time. The fact it s his second games, the improvement he has made as an athlete over the course of this cycle to be really standing up with the big nations, for him to carry the flag and properly celebrate his achievements is very justly deserved." SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA
P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:30 RTE 5/8 Paris 2024 wants 'to make history' 19 Feb 2022 13:44 After two Games clouded by Covid-19 restrictions, Paris 2024 is looking to launch a new momentum for the sporting extravaganza, promising an Olympic "light at the end of the tunnel". One hundred years after France last hosted the Summer Olympics amid the post-World War One Annees Folles (crazy years) period, Paris aims to be the stage for a carefree Games as they return to Europe for the first time in a decade. SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA
P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:36 RTE 6/8 Paris 2024 wants 'to make history' 19 Feb 2022 13:44 "We want to take the Games out of the stadiums, with a ceremony out in the city and a marathon open to the general public," Tony Estanguet, a triple canoeing Olympic champion who was France's flag-bearer at the 2008 Beijing Games opening ceremony, told Reuters. Some 600,000 people are expected to attend the opening ceremony with around 160 boats setting off on the Seine on 26 July from the Pont d'Austerlitz for a six-kilometre journey to the Pont d'Iena. SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA
P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:42 RTE 7/8 Paris 2024 wants 'to make history' 19 Feb 2022 13:44 While the lower part of the river bank will be subject to ticketing, there will be free access to the upper part with spectators able to see holograms on the water, dancers on the roofs of nearby buildings and aerial shows. "We are very ambitious, we want to break new ground and offer a popular and spectacular Games," said Estanguet of the Paris Olympics. "With Milan-Cortina two years later, this is an opportunity for us to start a new cycle in Europe." SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA
P420 AERTEL 1 420 Wed 23 Feb 08:41:48 RTE 8/8 Paris 2024 wants 'to make history' 19 Feb 2022 13:44 The Winter Games were last staged in Europe in 2014 in Sochi, Russia, after London hosted the 2012 Summer Olympics. At Beijing 2022, crowds have been extremely limited as authorities sought to keep Covid-19 out of the country by segregating athletes and Games workers from the general public with a strict "closed loop" system. Just 97,000 people attended events at the Beijing Games, while Pyeongchang in 2018 attracted more than a million spectators, organisers said at the time. SPORT HEADLINES P200 Next Rugby GAA Local GAA