Gaelic games will bridge a 120-year gap when they return to the Olympic stage in Paris tomorrow.

For the first time since they were official demonstration sports at the 1904 Games in St Louis, a two-day demonstration will see Gaelic football, hurling, camogie and Ladies Gaelic football feature as part of a sports festival in the Olympic fan zone at Chateau Vincennes in Paris.

Ireland is one of 10 countries that has been chosen to feature in a 10-day festival of sport showcasing indigenous European sports and games.

Sport Ireland has nominated the GAA to feature Gaelic games, and the local Paris Gaels GAA club will exhibit them.

Tomorrow (Thursday), there will be three hours of activity for local schoolchildren from 3 pm to 6 pm. On Friday, there will be another exhibition aimed at the general public attending the fan zones and watching the Olympics experience Gaelic games from 12 noon to 3 pm.

The high-profile exposure is a huge boost to World GAA as it continues its international awareness campaign. World GAA accounts for 470 clubs outside of Ireland, and Gaelic games are played in 52 countries.

The GAA and Camogie Association secured UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status for hurling and camogie in 2018, and Gaelic football and Ladies Gaelic football were formally recognised on Ireland’s national list this month. This is the first step in the bid to secure UNESCO statues for football.

A GAA delegation led by Director General Tom Ryan will be guests of Ireland’s Ambassador to France, Niall Burgess, and hold several meetings with sporting bodies during their three-day visit to Paris.

 

 

 

 

Sport for Business will host its inaugural Children and Sport Conference in Dublin on Thursday, September 19th, with the support of Allianz Ireland and Sport Ireland. This is one of many events planned for the remainder of 2024.

Register your interest to attend a Sport for Business event here.

 

The GAA, Sport Ireland and the Olympic Federation of Ireland are among the 300 organisations, which include all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, that are members of the Sport for Business community.

Find out more about joining us today.

Check out our upcoming events to discover ways of connecting in person with our membership.