Minister Martin said: “Team Ireland has made the nation so proud, our most successful team ever at an Olympic Games. Over these past few weeks, thousands of Irish supporters travelled to France to loudly cheer on the team and it was clear that our athletes greatly appreciated this support.  Back home in Ireland, there has also been great support for our athletes every step of the way. I want to congratulate everyone who has been involved in this endeavour from the athletes to the coaches, the sporting bodies, the Olympic Federation through to the Sport Ireland Institute and beyond.

This success has been a credit to our athletes’ dedication, and the support of their families, coaches and communities. This fantastic achievement also demonstrates the value of the continued and sustained investment into our sporting system. We have invested at all levels, from the high performance system right on down to the grassroots community level and we will continue to build on that investment in the years to come, to provide our athletes with the support they deserve.”

Minister Byrne said: “This has been the most successful Olympic Games for Ireland. We sent our biggest ever team to the Paris Games, and they have returned with our greatest ever medal haul. That is an outstanding achievement and I want to congratulate each member of Team Ireland on their performance. We have seen national records set in sports like athletics and swimming. We have reached finals and the latter stages in sports and disciplines where we have never been in serious contention before. This has been a terrific Olympic Games for Ireland. I also want to thank the French people for hosting such a fantastic Games.

What we have seen in Paris represents the very best of a strong Irish sports system that is delivering for a diversity of sports. I want to offer my sincere thanks to the team behind Team Ireland, from family members and friends, to volunteers and supporters, along with countless more. I also want to recognise and commend the Olympic Federation of Ireland, Sport Ireland and my Department for their dedicated work in supporting our high performance athletes and sporting community.”