FAI & Beijing 2008

[Stuttgart88]

From the FAI:

Givens backs Olympics bid

Republic of Ireland Under 21 manager Don Givens has welcomed a suggestion that the Sports Council should invest in getting an Ireland team to the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.

The suggestion came from the authors of the Athens Review — an OCI commissioned report on the successes and failures of Ireland’s preparations and performances at the 2004 Olympic Games.

The report suggests that the international carding scheme, which previously only applied to individual athletes, be extended to teams with funding available to ensure the teams get extra preparatory games under their belts. The Report named the Ireland Under 21 side and Paralympic football teams as teams where the system could work

“If there was to be extra money available then you can never have enough games,” said Givens. “Atlhough the FAI couldn’t be said to do too badly on that front.”

At present, the Olympic football tournament is an Under 23 tournament with teams qualifying via the European Under 21 Championships.

If the tournament remains an Under 23 competition for 2008, it is possible that an Irish team competing in Beijing could boast players of the talent of Willo Flood, Mark Yeates, Aiden McGeady and any other player born in 1985 or later.

The International Olympic Committee are currently revaluating the football tournament with one the options to make the competition a younger competition, though with the FAI’s Technical Development Plan underway, Ireland are in a strong position to keep churning out quality young players.

Having an U23 team there would be fantastic. Unfortunately, despite the quality of our U21 team, they seem to be struggling to get the results in the competitive games.

[$Leon$]

if we sent a team to beijing we'd have to unite the fai and ifa.
we sent an all ireland team to the olympics.
the same reason that england wales + scotland never send soccer teams to olympics theres a UK olympic team and to send soccer teams would either involve uniting the fa sfa and wfa or sending 3 seperate olympic teams

[fergalr]

if we sent a team to beijing we'd have to unite the fai and ifa.
we sent an all ireland team to the olympics.
the same reason that england wales + scotland never send soccer teams to olympics theres a UK olympic team and to send soccer teams would either involve uniting the fa sfa and wfa or sending 3 seperate olympic teams
Don't think you're 100% right there.

It varies from sport to sport depending on how its governed on this island. For footie our Olympic Team would be under the auspices of the FAI.

Personally I think its a great idea - at the very least it would give us something of interest to follow in the otherwise increasingly dull Olympics.

[Closed Account 2]

You get to name 3 over 23year-olds in the squad as well.

[TheJamaicanP.M.]

Yeah as far as I know, an Irish Olympic football team would be organised by the FAI. It would essentially be a team from the Republic. The reason we have never had a team in the Olympics is because we have never had a team good enough, not for organisational reasons. I remember when we came third in the World Youth Championships in Malaysia in 1997, the FAI was hoping that the same group of players would go on and qualify for the Olympics. From what I know, qualification for the Olympics requires a European team to qualify for the European Under-21 Championships first of all. Then that team goes on to compete in the Olympics. The fact that we dont qualify for Under-21 Championships is what has prevented us from taking part in the Olympics, not the divide between the FAI and IFA. On the other hand, the UK dont send a team as it would require the different football associations to unite.

I would love to see an Irish team take part in the Olympics but I cant see it happening in the near future. Our Under-21 teams are just not strong enough. Because of our limited resource base, any player that shows potential is promoted to senior ranks at an early age. For instance, our current Under-21 team could be very strong if the likes of Stephen Elliott and Aiden McGeady were still involved. It now looks like Stephen Kelly will follow them into the senior set-up. That is the nature of Irish international football. The likes of Damien Duff and Robbie Keane by-passed the Under-21 grade. We would require a very strong crop of young players in order to send a team to the Olympics. It would be great if we could. The 3 players over-23 rule is a huge incentive.

[MariborKev]

Yeah as far as I know, an Irish Olympic football team would be organised by the FAI. It would essentially be a team from the Republic. The reason we have never had a team in the Olympics is because we have never had a team good enough, not for organisational reasons.

Did we not have "Olympic" sides as managed by Jim McLaughlin in the early 1980s?

[Eirambler]

Its very difficult for Irish sides to make the Olympics because the qualifying system is weighted against the european teams. I think maybe as few as 4 European sides can qualify, and there might be as many, or more asian teams, despite the obvious standard differences.

Countries like France, Spain, Italy and Germany are always at an advantage because they are far less likely to lose their players to the senior side during qualifying, so its not really a level playing field within Europe either.

[Eirambler]

Actually, only three European teams qualified last time. Greece as hosts also competed.

Athens 04 (http://www.athens2004.com/en/FootballMen/results)

[Stuttgart88]

Did we not have "Olympic" sides as managed by Jim McLaughlin in the early 1980s?

A bit later than that, no? I remember one cracker of a game against Spain at Tolka. A full house & great atmosphere.

[lopez]

...The reason we have never had a team in the Olympics is because we have never had a team good enough, not for organisational reasons. I remember when we came third in the World Youth Championships in Malaysia in 1997, the FAI was hoping that the same group of players would go on and qualify for the Olympics...The right honourable gentlman is corect. We competed in the 1924 (Paris) and 1948 (London prelimanary). We haven't qualified because we haven't come top of our U21 group and made it to the semis (??).