Trinity College Dublin has celebrated its Olympian alumni and heritage with a special ceremony and exhibition on campus.
The college’s historic Exam Hall hosted the reception, which is the latest in a series of events marking the Centenary of Team Ireland’s first participation in the Olympic Games.
The exhibition featured images and biographies of Olympians and Paralympians who attended the college, plus those from the ‘Team Behind the Team’ of physicians, coaches and administrators who attended a Games as part of an official Team Ireland delegation.
Exhibition
Physical items such as Olympic torches, competition clothing; and participation medals and certificates from Games were also on display.
A centre piece of the exhibition was a specially commissioned countdown clock, charting the days, hours and minutes to the start of the Paris 2024 Games. The clock is due to feature at various points around TCD’s campus over the coming months in the run up to the Games.
Among those present were Prof. Richard Porter, Dean of Students, TCD; Linda Doyle, Provost, TCD; Peter Sherrard OFI, CEO; Mrs Barkan-Cowdy, First Counsellor of the French Embassy, Michelle Tanner, Director of Sport, TCD and Sport Ireland CEO, Una May.
Prof. Moira O’Brien
Also present was pioneering sports scientist and former TCD Professor of Anatomy Moira O’Brien. Professor O’Brien who is now in her 91st year, served as Irish Olympic Medical Officer at Moscow 1980, Los Angeles 1984 and Seoul 1988 and, along with with Bernard Donne, established Trinity’s Human Performance Laboratory in the Amatony Department, a facility that tested all athletes and officials prior to the Seoul Olympic Games.