11,239 athletes from an estimated world population of 7.4 billion are currently converging on Rio to compete in the 311 events that make up the 2016 Summer Olympic Games.
However, research has found that few Irish people (14%) are aware of just how difficult it is to become an Olympian with only a fraction of the world’s population (0.0001%) ever earning the right to represent their country at the Olympics.
The findings are part of research commissioned by Electric Ireland, as proud sponsor of Team Ireland for the Rio Olympics, into Ireland’s attitude towards our Olympic athletes. Team Ireland who will represent the country, at the Olympic Games in Rio that begin on Friday 5th of August, is our second-largest team ever and is made up of 77 athletes who will compete in 13 of the 28 sports.
More men (16%) than women (11%) claim to be aware of how difficult it is to become an Olympian. Yet men place a higher value on winning medals as only 66% of them, compared to 82% of women, would classify Ireland’s Olympians as heroes if they perform at their best regardless of whether they win a medal.
Electric Ireland through The Power Within campaign, have been championing not just the talent and dedication of the individual athletes that make up Team Ireland but also the resilience and self-belief required by Ireland’s Olympians to realise their dream of competing at an Olympic Games.
Irish adults (65%) feel that Irish Olympians possess un-wavering self-belief in themselves that they can be competitive against the best in the world. 18-24 years olds are the age group most likely to be inspired to attain their personal ambitions by the achievements of our Olympians with 44% of them agreeing that our Olympians inspire them to push themselves harder.
Most Irish people (83%) do however agree that it is the heart, passion and leaving nothing behind on the sport’s field that make us proudest of our Olympic athletes.
Electric Ireland are hoping that that the achievements of our Team Ireland athletes over the next sixteen days will not just unite the country but inspire both them and us to unlock The Power Within. With this in mind, the largest energy provider has created a video to encourage everyone to support Team Ireland in the weeks ahead: