Sir, - Ronan Fox (July 16th) misquotes the article by Jim Dunne (The Irish Times, July 14th) when he states that "major sporting events" have "only one purpose". His remarks about "foreign owned", "greedy vested interests" are to be deplored.Of course everyone wants to have fun, but major events must be run so that ordinary citizens can get about, with the public transport system remaining fully operational and not interrupted.Mr Fox's remarks about "reclaiming" the streets are inexplicable. Over 200,000 people come in and enjoy Dublin city centre each day. The citizens' right to enjoy the streets of our city, however, is no more and no less than citizens' right to access the city centre.The DCCBA has always welcomed the Tour de France and recognises the long-term benefits of such an event to Dublin and its citizens. However, in the current climate these events are run on a commercial basis by the organisers and can generate large advertising revenues from sponsors. The DCCBA is concerned that a Minister, without consultation, can enter into contracts with organisers, giving rise to a significant financial burden on Dublin Corporation and ultimately on ratepayers. As Mr Fox correctly pointed out, the country as a whole benefitted from the visit and costs should therefore be met out of central Exchequer funds, sourced from the Department of Tourism.The French are to be admired for such clarity of thought and organisation. They hosted the World Cup, removed the start of the Tour de France because of its inconvenience, won the World Cup and landed the Tour de France back on French soil on Bastille Day. What panache! - Yours, etc., Tom Coffey,Chief Executive, DCCBA,Dawson Street,Dublin 2.