Sport for Business’ Coverage of the 2016 Olympic Games is supported by Team Ireland Official Partner Electric Ireland #ThePowerWithin
The latest update from Gracenote, a sports analytics firm, on who will win what colour of medal at the Rio Olympics, has Ireland holding firm on four but Katie taylor has been dropped to a likely silver.
All the number crunching from performance, sentiment and a range of factors make for interesting little stories like this but will of course be only truly tested when it comes to next month’s games.
Michael Conlon is now seen as our most Likely Gold medallist with Joe Ward also forecast to take silver in the ring and Rob Heffernan down for bronze in the 50KM walk.
The company has left Russia in the running in the latest update and if their appeal to the Court for Arbitration in Sport fails next week that could free up a further six medals they are forecast to take in athletics though none would materially improve Irish prospects of podium success.
There will of course be others hopeful of making the predictions look hopelessly unambitious but that would not be a bad haul.
The Irish athletics team heading to Rio will be 17 strong after the team was announced yesterday. Heffernan will be making his fifth Olympic appearance and will be hoping to add to the Bronze he was retroactively awarded from London 2012.
Fionnuala McCormack is entered to run in both the 10,000 metres on the track and the Marathon.
European Championship Bronze medallist Ciara Mageean could be Ireland’s best track medal hope in the 1,500 metres though Mark English and Thomas Barr will be among those also hoping to achieve lifetime bests.
The Games get underway on Friday August 5th.
The Director of Technology and Innovation at the US Olympic Committee will be one of the many global leaders from the world of Sport and Technology joining us in Dublin this October. Tickets are now on Sale.
