The Olympic Federation of Ireland has today named forty-two athletes who will compete across five sports in the Summer European Youth Olympic Festival (EYOF) taking place later this month. The EYOF is the largest European multi-sport event for young athletes between the ages of 14 and 17 and generally occurs every two years. This year it takes place in Maribor, Slovenia and will run from the 23–29 of July.

The EYOF is a prestigious event that plays an important role in the overall development of athletes, as it mimics the Olympic Games model, preparing athletes for the nuances of performing in a multi-sport environment. This year’s event will see forty-eight countries across Europe participate in the event, with approximately 3,600 athletes competing.

Announcing the team, Olympic Federation of Ireland Chef de Mission for the EYOF, Nancy Chillingworth said: “The EYOF is Europe’s largest multi-discipline event for young athletes, and it is a vital step for Team Ireland athletes on the Olympic pathway. This is an eager young group, with a mix of those travelling to their first multi-sport event and some who competed in the postponed EYOF last year, so we know that they are ambitious and will learn a lot. EYOF is also a great opportunity for coaches and support staff to learn and that mix of first-time and experience is evident within both the sport-specific coaches, as well as the performance support team which is led by Julianne Ryan, from the Sport Ireland Institute. I have no doubt that the athletes will have a wonderful experience and we are looking forward to supporting them to achieve their goals”.

Included in the team of forty-two is six athletes representing swimming at the event, Led by Michael McCarthy (Team Leader) and Sinead Donagher (Coach), Ava Jones (Portmarnock), Brydan Byrne (Bangor), Denis O’Brien (National Centre Limerick), Gene Smyth (Bangor), Niamh Connery (Galway), and Sean Donnellan (National Centre Dublin) will feature for Team Ireland between the 24-28 July Maribor.

Full Announcement

SCHEDULE: 

Ava Jones (Portmarnock) | 200m, 100m Breaststroke, 50m and 100m Freestyle (F)

Brydan Byrne (Bangor) | 200m, 100m Backstroke (M)

Denis O’Brien (Limerick) | 1500m, 400m, and 200m Freestyle (M)

Gene Smyth (Bangor) | 200m, 100m, and 50m Freestyle (M)

Niamh Connery (Shark Galway) | 200m, 100m, Breaststroke, 400m Individual Medley (F)

Sean Donnellan (Dublin) | 200m, 100m, Butterfly (M)

EYOF Performance team ireland