Patrick-Paul Schwarzacher-Joyce competed for Ireland in alpine skiing at two Winter Olympics, becoming the first skier ever to represent Ireland at the Games.
At Nagano 1998 he finished 27th in the downhill and 15th in the combined. At Salt Lake City 2002 he finished 47th in the combined downhill and 33rd in the Super-G. The son of an Austrian father and an Irish mother, he was raised in Austria and based in St Anton, training with a professional programme. He was the sole representative of Irish alpine skiing at both Games - described at the time as effectively being "the Irish Alpine ski team" in his own right - and largely unknown in Ireland, where he said winter sports "were not a big deal."
He first competed internationally for Ireland at the 1997 World Championships.
Skiing
