Ireland At The 1924 Summer Olympics
Ireland, then known as the Irish Free State, competed as an independent nation for the first time at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.
The Irish Free State national football team made their international debut at these Olympics. The football tournament was decided on a knockout basis with 12 teams entering the first round. The 6 winners then joined another 10 teams, including the Irish Free State, in the second round. On May 28 at the Stade Olympique, the Irish Free State beat Bulgaria 1-0 with Paddy Duncan scoring the only goal. As a result of this win they qualified for the quarter-finals. On June 2 they played the Netherlands at the Stade de Paris in Saint-Ouen but lost 2-1 after extra-time. However, the following day, before returning home, the team played one more game, beating Estonia, 3-1 in a friendly at the Stade Olympique.
Contemporary records, such as the Football Association of Ireland annual report, regarded these three internationals as full internationals, despite featuring amateur teams. After the 1960s these games were reclassified as amateur internationals. However in June 1999 FIFA declared that early Olympic internationals could be considered as full internationals.
Read more about Ireland At The 1924 Summer Olympics: Athletics, Boxing, Football, Tennis, Sources
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