Ballinasloe's Sive Brassil named on Irish Team for European Games

The Olympic Federation of Ireland has today named a three-person team to compete in Modern Pentathlon at the European Games in Krakow. Doubling up as the European Championships, the event in Krakow offers a significant opportunity for athletes to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris next year, with eight quota spots available.

Team Ireland will be sending three female athletes to the European Games, with Galway’s Sive Brassil being the key contender from the team, as she targets qualification for her first Olympic Games. Allocations will be decided on the 1^st of July, in the finals of the competitions. Isobel Radford-Dodd and Hanna D’Aughton will also be competing in the competition, at what will be their first major Games.

Modern Pentathlon was one of the original sports on the Modern Olympic Games programme, and one in which founder of the Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertain competed. Based on simulating the experience of a 19^th Century soldier, the event tracks the athletes as they compete in fencing, swimming, shooting, running and riding a ‘strange’ horse. Following controversy at the Tokyo Olympic Games, there has been considerable discussion about removing the round with the horse from the programme, it will remain in for the Paris Olympic Games.

TEAM IRELAND MODERN PENTATHLETES:

Sive Brassil (Ballinasloe, Co. Galway) Women’s Modern Pentathlon

Hanna D’Aughton (Cork) Women’s Modern Pentathlon

Isobel Radford-Dodd (Greystones, Co. Wicklow) Women’s Modern Pentathlon

Team Ireland Chef de Mission for Krakow 2023, Gavin Noble said,

“Modern Pentathlon is one of our priority events for the European Games in Krakow, as it offers direct qualification to the Paris Olympic Games. Europe is the most competitive nation in this sport, but we are looking forward to making sure that Sive, Isobel and Hannah get all the support they need for these Games.”

Performance Director with Modern Pentathlon, Martina McCarthy, said,

"Sive, Hanna and Isobel have worked really hard in preparation for these Games. As Krakow will also be a European Championships for the team, the competition will be tough, especially with the Olympic qualification quotas available. A multi-sports environment will be a new one for all three athletes, and a great experience for the team, and if they perform to their potential anything is possible.”

This is the latest sport to be announced by Team Ireland for the European Games this summer, with more announcements to come in the coming days. The European Games run from the 20^th of June to the 2^nd of July in Krakow and will see approximately 120 Irish athletes across seventeen sports. This is the third edition of the European Games, which is a multi-sport event run by the European Olympic Committees and will see athletes compete across districts in the Krakow-Malopolska region.