LAST UPDATE | 26 Jul

Lowry represented Ireland at the last Olympics in Tokyo. OFI OFI

ATHLETE SARAH LAVIN and golfer Shane Lowry have been named as Ireland’s Olympic flag-bearers for the opening ceremony.

The opening ceremony for the 2024 Olympics will be held in Pairs this evening to mark the start of the Games.

“I’m deeply touched and just so excited to get out there,” said Lavin, who became emotional while talking about being given the honour of bearing the Irish flag in the ceremony. 

She said it was “surreal” and called it “the greatest honour” she’d ever been given. 

Lowry said: “Anybody who knows me knows how patriotic I am and how much I love Ireland.”

“It’s something that I’ll remember forever,” he said.

𝐓𝐞𝐚𝐦 𝐈𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐥𝐚𝐠𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐫𝐬 | Paris 2024

“It’s the greatest honour, I’ve ever been given.” 🥹💚

Sarah Lavin and Shane Lowry are our Team Ireland Flagbearers for the Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony ✨#TeamIreland | #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/nisrUyyjRj

— Team Ireland (@TeamIreland) July 26, 2024

Lavin and Lowry will lead the Irish representation as competitors parade not through a stadium, but down the river Seine in boats.

Around 300,000 people expected to turn out to watch the opening parade live travel down a six-kilometre stretch of the river Seine before disembarking at the Eiffel Tower.

Ireland will be on boat 28 this evening.

A great honour to pass the Irish flag to @ShaneLowryGolf & @sarahlavin_ who will be our flag bearers for @TeamIreland at the @Olympics. Congratulations to them both on this huge honour. The entire country is behind our brilliant 133 athletes pic.twitter.com/puTCbx7mCc

— Simon Harris TD (@SimonHarrisTD) July 26, 2024

“Congratulations to them both for this huge honour. The entire country is behind our brilliant 133 athletes,” said Taoiseach Simon Harris who, along with Sports Minister Catherine Martin, passed the Irish flag to Lavin and Lowry today. 

This is the second Olympics for Ireland's top hurdler. OFI OFI

A record 133 athletes are to represent Ireland across 16 different sports over the course of the Games.

The Olympic journey for the Irish Rugby 7s team has already started and ended after the side reached the quarter-finals but lost out to Fiji.

Ireland's Olympic flag bearers at #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/bi53l73StP

— Gavin Cooney (@gcooney93) July 26, 2024

Additional reporting by Gavin Cooney