With ALL the focus these days on World Cup Soccer, the first ever 'Youth Olympic Games' will be held in Singapore this coming August. 3,600 young athletes between 14 & 18 years, will take part in 26 sports from August 14th to 26th.
In what is seen as a major boost to girls hockey, Ireland has secured a place at the games for its U17 Girls Hockey Squad. The 16 strong national squad, under the direction of team leader Dave Passmore of Irish Hockey, will challenge for Olympic gold against nations such as New Zealand, Argentina and South Africa.
'This is the perfect opportunity to develop a group of talented young athletes, many of whom have been through Irish Hockey's Talent ID system. Whilst the tournament will be a challenging one in difficult climatic conditions, it is the best way to test our young stars against the world's best nations' said Dave Passmore.
The selection process had been completed, & of the 16 players, Greenfields' Dora Gorman is the only Connacht player who made the cut. This comes at a very exciting time in Dora's sporting career. Just this week, she captains the Irish Womens U17 soccer team, as they compete at the European Championships in Switzerland.
The selection process had been completed, & of the 16 players, Greenfields' Dora Gorman is the only Connacht player who made the cut. This comes at a very exciting time in Dora's sporting career. Just this week, she captains the Irish Womens U17 soccer team, as they compete at the European Championships in Switzerland.
Having beaten the reigning champions Germany one - nil on Tues June 22nd, the team went through to the finals against Spain on Saturday 26th. After 100 gruelling minutes of play, the sides remained dead-locked, & there followed a penalty shoot-out. Sadly, Ireland lost four - one, but coming in the top three teams of the tournament has earned them a place at the U17 Soccer World Cup, to be held in September in Trinidad & Tobago.
WELL DONE Dora!
