IF viewed from afar - apart from Dubliner Ray O'Connor, who returns from Atlanta with an umpires' gold medal - hockey is one of the more amateur sports in which Ireland has gained a heartening boost from the Olympic Games.
Not only did the unassuming O'Connor control the final admirably - with Australian Don Prior - but it was a source of satisfaction also that the Netherlands became champions (surprisingly, for the first time), coming from behind to beat Spain 3-1.
O'Connor (38) - officiating in his first Olympics, "proud to represent his country" and using up all his holidays as well as five extra days from Telecom Eireann - had felt that he would not be called into action for more than three or four games, but ended up umpiring seven matches. He staked his claim for the gold medal decider by his assertive handling of the semi-final in which the champions, Germany, lost 3-1 to Holland.
That clash was a repeat of the European Cup final in Dublin last year when O'Connor had no hesitation in awarding a penalty stroke to the Germans as they fought their way back to 2-2 and eventually prevailed in a shoot-out (10-9).
But in Atlanta, where O'Connor umpired five of their matches, the Dutch at last triumphed. The occasion was particularly memorable for their marksmen, Floris-Jan Bovelander and Taco van den Honert, but was of supreme satisfaction for the veteran captain, Marc Delissen, who had been the figure to fail with the crucial 10th stroke in Belfield a year ago.
As is the case on the swimming front, Ireland has a strong bond with the Netherlands in hockey circles. Indeed, the Dutch will be hosts to the Irish squad in the first week of September as part of Ireland's preparations for the World Cup qualifying tournament in Cagliari, Sardinia, in October.
This has become the norm to hone the Irish team in Holland, particularly in the years since Dutch coach Cees Koppelaar has been in charge of operations. Remarkably, in Koppelaar's 100th match on the bench, Ireland beat Holland for the first time in 23 meetings, in Dublin last summer prior to the European Championship.
While Ireland defeated Spain in that championship and finished fifth, they failed to enter contention for a place in Olympics. But now, for a new-look squad, there is the quest of qualifying for the World Cup finals in Utrecht in 1998 and then reaching Sydney 2000, accompanied, no doubt, by Ray O'Connor who, in reaching the pinnacle in his field, hopes that umpiring, too, can be a goal for younger figures in the game.
