Tipperary athletes amongst those set to be celebrated at UL Sport Arena 'Public Viewing Party'

A total of 24 members of the University of Limerick community - which includes Tipperary athletes - from students to staff and graduates are set for direct involvement in the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games as athletes, coaches or support team members.

Nine Limerick/UL based athletes and graduates, including Sharlene Mawdsley and her Tipperary coach Gary Ryan, will be competing in this summer’s Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris, representing Ireland, Canada and Australia across a wide range of sporting disciplines.

UL Graduates and UL/Limerick Based Athletes

• Thomas Barr (UL Graduate) – Mixed 4x400M Relay 
• Sharlene Mawdsley (UL Graduate) – 400M; Mixed 4x400M Relay and Women’s 4x400M Relay
• Sinead Diver (UL Graduate) – Marathon (competing for Australia)
• Róisín Ní Riain (Current UL Student) – Para Swimming
• Tiarnán O’Donnell (UL Graduate) - Para Rowing 
• Sarah Lavin, (UL Training Base) – 100m Hurdles
• Kelly McGrory, (UL Training Base) – Women’s 4 x 400M Relay
• Jeremy Bagshaw (UL Graduate) – Swimming (competing for Canada) 
• Róisín Harrison (Daughter of UL Coaches Drew and Hayley Harrison) Women’s 4x400 Relay

The opening ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics will take place this Friday 26 July and the games will feature over 11,230 athletes from across 206 nations – with 133 athletes representing Ireland at the Games - the largest ever Olympic squad assembled by Ireland. So far, there are 20 athletes named for the Team Ireland Paralympic squad. 

UL will host a free open family viewing day at the UL Sport Arena from 10am to 6pm on Saturday 27 July to get the Olympics fever started.  

Members of the public are invited to come to the UL Sport Arena to watch the Irish in action on the first day of the Games and take part in some fun activities. 

In addition to UL students and graduates competing as Olympic & Paralympic athletes, numerous members of UL staff and alumni will feature among the support staff for the UL/Team Ireland athletes fulfilling a wide range of roles from coaches, to nutritionists and sports scientists.

Coaches & Support Staff 

• Professor Drew Harrison (UL Staff) – Athletics Coach
• Sharon Madigan, (UL Adjunct Professor), Science Lead, Team Ireland
• Hayley Harrison (Coaching Ireland) – Athletics Coach
• Dr Tom Comyns – (UL Staff & Graduate) Strength & Conditioning Coach 
• Gary Ryan, (UL Graduate) Athletics Coach 
• Toni Rossiter (UL Graduate) – Team Physiologist
• Alan Swanton (UL Graduate) – Exercise Physiologist
• Caroline McManus (UL Graduate) – Senior Performance Scientist (New Zealand)
• John Szaranek (UL Sport Staff) - High Performance Swim Coach
• Noreen O’Connell (UL Graduate, NCEF) - Athlete Support UL
• Lorna Barry, (UL Graduate) - S&C Coach, High Performance Swimming
• Kathryn Fahy, (UL Staff & Graduate), Physiotherapist, High Performance Swimming
• Fiona Scally, (UL Graduate) Paralympic Media Team
• Kieran Jackson (UL Graduate) Olympic Media Team 
• Neasa Fahy O’Donnell (UL Graduate) Management of UL Sports Scholarships Academy 

The UL campus boasts some of the best sports facilities in Europe and is home to the largest multi-sport synthetic grass park in Europe, including both a 25m pool and the national 50m swimming pool.