Athletics Ireland have announced that Sunday’s session at this weekend’s National Indoor Championships is now sold out, advising spectators not to travel to the venue without a ticket.
The official capacity at the Sport Ireland Arena in Abbotstown, now the permanent venue for the championships, is 4,000, with 400 permanent seats adjacent to the homestretch of the indoor track.
It’s the first time a session at the event has sold out, further reflecting the increasing popularity of the sport after both the European Championships in Rome last June and the Paris Olympics last August.
Tickets are still available for Saturday’s session, which includes several finals including the 200m and 60m hurdles, plus the high jump and triple jump.
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Although some of the top Irish athletes will not be competing, with Rhasidat Adeleke already indicating she’s focused entirely on the outdoor season, the likes of Sharlene Mawdsley, also part of the mixed relay that won gold in Rome, and Sarah Healy have confirmed their intention to race.
However Mark English, who recently improved his own Irish 800m record, has withdrawn due to injury, while Andrew Coscoran, who recently set Irish records over the mile and 3,000m, is unlikely to race due to illness. Jodie McCann, who recently set indoor bests over the 1,500m and 3,00m, has also withdrawn due to illness.
Meanwhile organisers of next month’s Dublin City Half Marathon, for which the 12,500 entries sold out in just two hours, have announced additional general sales from entries originally allocated for charity, sponsorship, partnerships, and community programmes.
“Given the unprecedented demand for the race, we are releasing a limited number of these spots for general sales. These places will be distributed through a lottery system that goes live on the event website, dublincityhalfmarathon.ie, at noon on Friday February 21st and will close at midnight on Sunday February 23rd.”
There is a €5 administration charge for each lottery entry; this fee is redeemable against the entry fee if successful. Already successful entrants can also transfer their entry to another runner, if desired, from February 21st to March 9th.
The race will start and finish on O’Connell Street at 8.30am, the northside route taking in Ballybough, Whitehall, Killester, Howth Road, Raheny, St Anne’s Park, Clontarf, Fairview Park and Seville Place.
