There was, not surprisingly, a strong Irish dimension to the launch of the Tour de France in Paris yesterday with a smattering of Irish dignitaries, a troupe of Riverdance-style dancers and, no doubt, a plentiful supply of some traditional Irish brews. Le Tour - that quintessentially French event which enthralls and captivates all of France for three weeks every summer - is coming to Ireland. For the first time in its 95-year history, the Tour will begin - not in France - but on the streets of central Dublin. For three days next summer the Tour will progress from Dublin down the east coast to Waterford and onward to Cork. It all represents a notable coup for this country. And those responsible for it are entitled to a great deal of credit. There will, assuredly, be no shortage of political figures anxious to claim this credit. But the Tour's decision to come to Ireland should, primarily, be seen as a tribute to the astonishing achievements of Stephen Roche and Sean Kelly who remain figures of substance in the international cycling community.
The scale of what is involved in staging the Tour - the world's largest annual sporting event - was hinted at during yesterday's launch which was attended by no less than 2,000 journalists, politicians, sponsors and officials gathered at the Palais des Congres. The Tour is now, perhaps, second only to the World Cup finals and the Olympic Games in terms of its global reach. But the logistics of moving it for three days to Ireland, are quite staggering. Tour officials anticipate the arrival of at least 2,000 race officials and 1,000 journalists. They estimate that the queue of Tour traffic at Cork bound for Roscoff will stretch for two and a half miles. Three Stena Sealink ferries have been specially commissioned to bring this huge entourage back to France.
Inevitably, there will be some concern that the start of the Tour in Dublin on July 11th 1998 will be overshadowed by the World Cup soccer final, which will take place in Paris on the same weekend. Yesterday, the director of the Tour, Mr Jean-Marie Leblanc, said that Ireland had " opened its arms and we seized them". For all that, the Tour organisers are so concerned about the possible effect of the World Cup that they have postponed the start for one week; they will be hoping that the novelty of le grand depart in Dublin will help to generate additional interest. In this, they will find common cause with the Minister for Tourism and Sport, Dr McDaid, who expressed his determination yesterday that Ireland "should exploit every ounce" of publicity that will accompany the Tour. With a potential TV audience of 950 million in some 160 countries, the opportunities to project a strong image of Ireland as a tourist destination is immense. In all the circumstances, the £2 million that the Government has invested in the staging of the event appears fully justified. The challenge now for everyone involved in the Tour in Ireland is to ensure that this opportunity is seized.