Swim Ireland and LEN – European Aquatics today mark 100 days to go until the European U23 Championships with the unveiling of the official Dublin 2023 Logo. The inaugural U23 Championships will take place at the Sport Ireland National Aquatic Centre from August 11^th – 13^th, with Irish Olympian’s Daniel Wiffen, Ellen Walshe and Mona McSharry all confirmed to compete.

The new logo, designed by Branding Sport, celebrates Dublin City, incorporating two of Dublin’s most iconic landmarks, the Poolbeg Chimneys, and the Spire of Dublin. The Poolbeg Chimneys are amongst Irelands tallest structures standing at over 207 metres, making them visible throughout Dublin City; although decommissioned in 2010, they were listed as protected structures in 2014.

The Spire of Dublin was unveiled in 2003, (the same year Ireland first hosted a European Championships), recently marking its twentieth anniversary, the striking 120 metre landmark can be found in the heart of the city on O’Connell Street. The vibrant colours used on the official emblem are inspired by the characteristics of Dublin City, including its warmth and world-renowned friendly welcome from its people, that attract thousands of visitors all year round.

To celebrate the launch of the official unveiling of the logo, Swim Ireland released a short drone video to showcase the host venue and featured four swimmers who are part of the Irish team in August, Ellen Walshe (Templeogue), Oisin Tebite (NAC/Project 28), Grace Hodgins (Trojan), and Liam O’Connor (Terenure/Project 28).

A home crowd will have the opportunity to watch a strong Irish contingent in August, with 19 swimmers recently selected to represent Ireland.

Ellen Walshe is looking forward to competing on home soil commenting ‘It’s going to be a big event for Irish swimming and Sport Ireland, we’ve never hosted anything like this before. So, it’s going to be a massive opportunity for us to show off what we have and enjoy it. It’s going to be pretty cool.’

The Templeogue swimmer also spoke about the upward trajectory of Irish swimming in recent years: ‘A couple of the younger ones like myself, qualified for the Olympics at a young age and I think we have just thrived after that and are enjoying it. I guess we are now realising how much you can give to it and it’s great for Irish swimming.’

So far 35 European Nations as well as USA Swimming have confirmed over 400 athletes for the Championships. Local and international supporters will have an amazing opportunity to watch the rising stars of international swimming. Tickets will be on sale later this month.