Michelle Smith's three gold medals and one bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics proved that Ireland was no exception, prompting an examination of the country's various roles and achievements in the Olympic movement, as well as the socio-political factors that influenced, inhibited, and even hampered its participation in the games. Dr Pat O'Callaghan's surprising victory in the hammer event in Amsterdam in 1928 earned Ireland its first Olympic gold medal as an independent country. He was barely out of the beginner class when he was called up to the Irish squad, mostly to get experience in top-level competition. Ireland will compete in the Summer Olympics in 2020. The free encyclopedia Wikipedia Ireland is slated to compete in the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020. The Games, which were originally slated to take place from July 24 to August 9, 2020, have been moved to July 23 to August 8, 2021 owing to the COVID-19 epidemic. Irish athletes also met the entrance requirements in the following track and field events, either by qualifying time or by global ranking (up to a maximum of 3 athletes in each event). Based on the BWF Race to Tokyo Rankings as of May 25, 2021, Ireland entered one badminton player in each of the following Olympic events. Michelle Smith's three gold medals and one bronze medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics proved that Ireland was no exception, prompting an examination of the country's various roles and achievements in the Olympic movement, as well as the socio-political factors that influenced, inhibited, and even hampered its participation in the games.