Olympics I

Limerick's only athletics representative at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing will be in action early on Saturday morning next.

Sean O'Neill (27), stroke, of Pallaskenry is a member of the Irish Heavyweight Four rowing team – which also includes Jonno Devlin (32), three, Sean Casey (30), two, and Cormac Folan (25), bow – that competes in an early round, 9.30am, in the Olympic Regatta at Shunqyi Olympic-Canoeing Park on the Chaobi River. The crew had their qualification for the Games secured as early as last year's World Championships in Munich in which they finished 10th.

In the case of O'Neill, the Games are the culmination of a rowing career that only began when he arrived in New Zealand on a rugby scholarship eight years ago, having been a star with Thomond RFC up until the time of his departure. He remains based in New Zealand, but is also attached to the St. Michael's Rowing Club in Limerick. "I am excited now about the prospect of the Games," he said after his recent farewell party thrown by the Pallaskenry Community.

"It's a great honour to represent your country, and really now it's only about actually getting into the boat and doing our best for Ireland." Limerick's sole Olympian of 2008 is a son of Tom and Theresa O'Neill. His parents will travel out to the Games while sisters Laura and Jennifer will organise the party mood at home.

Limerick native Dermot Henihan is Irish Chef de Mission while Jim Walsh of Bruree is manager of the Ireland Boxing Team at the upcoming Games.

Olympics II

Irish Super-middleweight professional champion Andy Lee of Limerick has been unveiled as part of the RTE Television commentary team at the Beijing Olympics, joining ten-games veteran Jimmy Magee ringside for the next couple of weeks.

Lee is no stranger to Olympic boxing, having been Ireland's lone representative in Athens four years ago, when at the age of 20, he lost a controversial points decision in his opening bout against Cameroon middleweight Hassan Njikam. Had the Limerick southpaw won, he would have advanced to a quarter-final bout with Gaidarbek Giadarbekov, a silver medalist at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.