Try for rugby then aim for the Olympics, says minister

SPORT Minister Shane Ross believes Ireland could consider hosting the Olympics should our Rugby World Cup bid prove successful.

Ireland is among three bidders, along with South Africa and France, aiming to host the 2023 rugby showpiece, with the winning nation announced in November.

And responding to questions from TDs yesterday, Mr Ross said that should Ireland host a successful Rugby World Cup, it could aim to host even bigger tournaments.

‘We’re now thinking in these terms and it’s really very, very exciting. Let’s think about the Olympics. Sure,’ he told the Oireachtas sports committee.

‘Now it’s a real, realistic prospect if we build up these stadiums and we are a credible bidder, which we obviously are, and if we win this bid I think the sky’s the limit.’

The idea of Dublin hosting the Olympics was first floated back in 1992 when then Lord Mayor of Dublin Gay Mitchell had accountants and other experts assess the idea.

However, the idea became something of a running joke given Ireland’s poor sports and transport infrastructure at the time.

Mr Ross also told the committee that hosting the 2023 Rugby World Cup would bring in 450,000 visitors spending about €760million – a financial return to the state of about €138million.

Twelve venues have been put forward as part of the Irish Government and Northern Ireland Executive’s bid to host the Rugby World Cup in September-October 2023.

Among the stadiums identified for games are Croke Park and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.