Sport

BLE pulls women's team out of event

FURTHER evidence of the problems building in Irish athletics, has been delivered in the decision to withdraw from the women's…

By PETER BYRNE
Wed Jun 18 1997 - 01:00

FURTHER evidence of the problems building in Irish athletics, has been delivered in the decision to withdraw from the women's European Cup fixture, to be held in Denmark at the end of the month.

In a move with wide ranging consequences, members of BLE's management committee rejected a recommendation by the officer board and voted to pull our out of the meeting arranged for Odense on June 27th and 28th.

At a time when the exploits of Sonia O'Sullivan and Catherina McKiernan have given women's athletics its highest ever profile in this country, many will be dismayed by the decision to deny local athletes the experience of competing at European level.

Ironically, then, it was the non availability of O'Sullivan and McKiernan, together with Sinead Delahunty's proposed no show, which appears to have swayed the rank and file members of the board in their controversial decision.

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Some are understood to have questioned the commitment of these athletes to the national squad at a time when other big name athletes like Portugal's Fernanda Ribeiro and Sweden's Lyudmila Engquist, among others, are deeply committed to European Cup competition.

In a sense it reflects the frustration of the board who contend that Ireland's unlucky relegation from the first flight in the men's European Cup at Santry Stadium 10 days ago, was down in the first instance to the absence of some established members of the squad.

Apart from the unavailability of some of the big name runners, the other influential factor in the decision was funding or, more precisely, the lack of it. For some time now, the board's finances have been parlous to the point where the possibility of having to sell their headquarters at Prospect Road, Glasnevin, was discussed as one of the means of survival.

Meanwhile, Catherina McKiernan is scheduled to make her first appearance of the season on the international track circuit at Helsinki this evening when she runs in a 5,000 metres event.

It was confirmed yesterday that Marcus O'Sullivan is returning to Cork on Saturday to compete in the City Sports at the Mardyke. O'Sullivan will now provide the main opposition to Kenya's David Kibet in the 1,500 metres event.