Taoiseach to join leaders at Paris summit and Olympics opening ceremony
By Jonathan McCambridge, PA
Taoiseach Simon Harris is to join world leaders in Paris for a sporting summit as well as attending the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.
Mr Harris said he would also use the visit to show his support for Irish athletes competing at the Games.
He will attend the Sport for Sustainable Development Summit hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France and the President of the International Olympic Council, Thomas Bach.
He will also visit the Olympic Village where he will meet some of the Irish athletes and members of Team Ireland and will attend events at the Centre Culturel Irlandais and the Embassy of Ireland to mark the centenary of Ireland’s participation in the Olympics as an independent state.
The Taoiseach will meet the families of the participating Irish athletes and the supporters of Team Ireland and will also attend a number of Olympic events to support the athletes.
Mr Harris said: “I am looking forward to travelling to Paris to show my support for the Irish athletes competing in the 33rd Olympic Games.
“This is the culmination of a huge amount of hard work and dedication by our athletes and I am very exited to see their talents excel on the world stage.
“It takes a team to support such success and I will be taking the opportunity to thank the families of our athletes and all those in support roles that have helped them reach the very top of their sport.
“Our athletes are doing the country, their communities and their families proud.
“They represent the best of us and I am delighted to have this chance to tell them how proud we are of them and to wish them every success in the coming weeks.
“I am also proud that the Government has provided record funding to support high performance sport and I am delighted that this investment has helped to send the largest ever Irish team to the Olympics with over 130 athletes competing across 14 sports.”
The Taoiseach said: “Every four years, we recall the values that guide the Olympic movement, those of excellence, respect and friendship, values that should also guide us as we face the challenges of a troubled world.
“Sport is a unifier, and I am looking forward to attending a summit hosted by President Macron and IOC President Bach with over 110 world leaders and leaders in the world of sport on how sport can play an important role in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals, in respect of education, health and nutrition and inclusion and equality.”