Over 160 Irish athletes urge Republic of Ireland football team to boycott Israel matches

More than 160 Irish sportspeople have signed an open letter by the Irish Sport for Palestine Group to urge the Republic of Ireland senior men's team to boycott their upcoming Nations League games against Israel.

The Republic of Ireland are due to play Israel on 27 September in Hungary before the reverse fixture in Serbia on 4 October.

The letter states that the Football Association of Ireland [FAI], Uefa and the Irish government should have intervened before this stage, but there is still time to "show the power of sport to unite".

Sportspeople such as Olympian Ciara Mageean, former Republic of Ireland footballer Louise Quinn, ex-Ireland rugby fly-half Tony Ward - who boycotted an Irish rugby tour of South Africa - and boxers Tyrone McKenna and Eric Donovan have signed the letter.

Also included in the 160 plus names are GAA's Padraig O'Hora, Joe Brolly, Colm O'Rourke, Michael Darragh Macauley, Philly McMahon, Valerie Mulcahy and Rena Buckley, as well as para-athlete Alan Dineen and ultimate frisbee's Stephen Jones, who both boycotted fixtures against Israel earlier this year.

"This is a significant moment and with this moment you have an opportunity to do the right thing," the letter states.

"Putting on the Irish jersey and representing your country means something. But the Ireland we want represented is the one that remembers its roots in anti-colonial and anti-imperial resistance, which Irish sport played a large part of.

"This moment symbolises something deeper, it is bigger than sport. But in a way this IS sport.

"Not playing the game would be the most sporting thing you could do. Through your leadership and courage, it would show the power of sport to unite, remind us of the shared values that connect us all, and have an impact far beyond the game."