Cork gymnast Dan Fox will represent Ireland in the rings competition.
Ireland team gymnast Dan Fox meets Cork Lord Mayor Fergal Dennehy.
A Cork gymnast is on his way to represent Ireland in the 2026 FIG Apparatus World Cup in Artistic Gymnastics, a competition that is an important step on the road to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
Dan Fox from Grange in Cork city is a sports development officer with Cork City Council. The 29-year-old specialises in the rings, a highly demanding apparatus consisting of two circular rings suspended from a high metal frame.
A member of Douglas Gymnastics Club, Dan was crowned 2025 National Champion on Rings. He was also the 2024 Luxembourg Open Rings silver medallist and the 2021 Northern European Rings champion.
“I previously competed in all of the apparatus for the Irish team. However, rings are my strongest and I only specialized in the rings at the start of this year. These World Cups are the first of the qualification process to the 2026 World Championships where the first Olympic spots will be decided,” he said.
“I will be doing two World Cups in March, in Baku and Antalya. All going well I will also be travelling to Croatia and Doha afterwards for two more World Cups. Each competition will have medal opportunities and give athletes their world ranking.”
Dan will be representing Ireland in Men’s Artistic Gymnastics alongside Rhys McClenaghan, Eamon Montgomery, Oisin O’Connell, Chester Enriquez and James Hickey, with Halle Hilton representing Ireland in Women’s Artistic Gymnastics.
The Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Fergal Dennehy, wished the Cork City Council employee the best of luck. “Dan’s achievements are exceptional. He is a national champion and a Northern European champion in rings, and all this after deciding just recently to specialise in the rings apparatus. His commitment, potential and success should be celebrated.”
“All of Dan’s colleagues at Cork City Council, and indeed everyone in Cork, are all extremely proud of him and we will all be supporting him during the upcoming World Cup competition,” the Lord Mayor said.
The schedule for the Baku, Azerbaijan World Cup competition will see Dan take to the rings on March 5, with the final day for rings on March 7. Between March 12 and 15 he’ll be performing in Antalya in Turkey at another World Cup event.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.