Neale Richmond (Dublin Rathdown, Fine Gael)
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121. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the status of preparations for Irish athletes competing in the Olympic Games in Tokyo; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33045/21]

Jack Chambers (Dublin West, Fianna Fail)
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Minister Martin and I have had, and will continue to have, regular, ongoing engagement with the sports sector as a whole, including with the Olympic Federation of Ireland (OFI) and Paralympics Ireland (PI).  The OFI and PI continue to work closely in partnership with Sport Ireland, the Sport Ireland Institute, the Sport Northern Ireland Institute and National Federations to facilitate Team Ireland's effective preparation and participation in the upcoming Tokyo Games.

Tokyo organisers have recently released an updated Tokyo playbook which outlines the various protocols that will be implemented by the organisers.  These comprehensive guidelines, which are a key part of the overall countermeasures being put in place for the Games, provide extensive details for each key stakeholder group to assist them complete their preparations for travelling to and arriving in Japan, their time at the Games, and their departure from Tokyo.

The primary focus for high performance sports at the moment is in relation to their respective qualification pathways to the Tokyo Games with significant qualifications events taking place over the next few weeks. There are currently 95 athletes qualified to date, across 15 sports for the Olympics. This will continue to change over the coming weeks as key qualifiers take place and sports manage the World Ranking points that athletes require to qualify in certain sports. The complete team announcement is scheduled for the beginning of July.