For example, there can be few greater honours in a sportsperson's life than to represent their country at the Olympics. And, whatever our expectations, we still recognise the supreme effort required of the various athletes (and their horses) in even reaching the games. But what we rarely recognise are the sacrifices that these athletes make to get there in the first place.

For example, Ross Killian represented Ireland in sailing at the 2004 Games in Athens.

Killian, alongside long-time sailing partner Gerard (Gerbil) Owens, came in a creditable 16th in their 470 Class . . . but to compete at this level, they had to essentially place their entire lives on hiatus while they dived headlong into the sport.

"Every other person in our sailing class was full-time, " said Killian. "So for the three to four years leading up to Athens, we had to go full-time too. That means that, for about three-and-a-half years, we did nothing else apart from training and sailing. Any other aspects of life . . . home, family, college, jobs . . . were just out of the question, especially in the last year leading up to the games."

In order to maintain this high level of training and preparation, there needs to be some level of support available, and in Ross Killian's case, it came through the Irish Sports Council. But there is a certain Catch 22 in place. To qualify for the funding, you have to be good enough in the first place, which means that you have to invest the time and expense in winning regattas.

"We would take out bank loans at the start of the year under the name of our Olympic campaign, " he said. "We'd do that to do well enough to qualify for the funding, and every year we would aim to be back at zero."

Fortunately for Killian and Owens, they did well enough every year to qualify for the funds . . . otherwise they could have been staring some hefty repayments in the face. It also has to be stated that there is more funding available in the year of the Olympics, and that there are seasons when nobody is really focused on the event . . . hence, it becomes more difficult to secure the funds.

Since their return from Athens, Owens and Killian both completed Masters degrees, and while Owens has returned to full-time sailing in preparation for Beijing, Killian has turned his attention to coaching, training his one-time Olympic comrade.

"Balancing college with sailing meant that sailing suffered, " said Killian. "Because Gerbil took that year out to do his Masters, he was one year behind in his preparation for the next games, so he is having to work that bit harder to catch up. We were ranked 8th in the world after Athens, but to achieve that, we had to put sailing before everything else."

While there can be no higher plane upon which to demonstrate sporting prowess than the Olympics, a World Cup is on an equal footing in terms of importance. Irish cricket hit the headlines last year for the first time since our skittling of the all-conquering West Indies in 1969, and many of the headlines were written by the heroics of all-rounder Kevin O'Brien, whose towering performance, particularly with the bat, sparked an interest in cricket that even the most optimistic of aficionados could not have anticipated.

"Since the 04/05 season, when I was invited to the MCC young cricketers programme, I was playing like a full professional, " he said.

"That meant that I was training every day, and playing matches when not training."

Even now, as a member of Railway Union Cricket Club in Sandymount, he is training practically round the clock.

"I train twice a week with my club, twice on my own, I have a special session on Saturday, and I have a game on Sunday, " he said. "But there are also four-day-cricket tournaments, and I was part of the Ireland team that just beat Canada to win the ICC International Cup."

While brother Niall has just signed with Northants in England, giving the professional game a shot, Kevin is as yet undecided as to his future.

To begin with, there is the matter of college to consider . . . he has completed a year of a marketing degree at IT Tallaght.

"I hadn't broken into the Irish team when I started college, so I was only training one day a week, " he said. "Because of that, I had no real problems studying, and I got my exams done. But there is no way now that I could do a full-time course . . . the World Cup took up about four months of this year, and I don't know what lies ahead for Irish cricket . . .so, while I might go back to college to do a part-time course. Full-time college is just not an option."

O'Brien is currently supplementing his income by coaching at a secondary school and in Railway Union . . . and with the occasional match bonus (he saved quite a bit during the World Cup), he is in a position where he can still concentrate on the cricket. But, as with many of our leading sportspeople, the dedication shown to the game by O'Brien is far greater than any potential financial rewards which may or may not accrue in the future. And we spectators owe a great deal of thanks to our sporting heroes for having the wherewithal to persevere while we get to cheer and clap.