BLE is to make a bid to stage the inaugural world track and field championships for youths in Dublin in the summer of 1999. The decision follows preliminary talks in Budapest at the weekend when Irish officials met senior members of the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) during the federation's congress.

Initial reactions were favourable, and it is thought the IAAF president, Dr Primo Nebiolo, is likely to support the application.

The next stage in the process will be to make a formal submission. A final decision on the location of the championships is expected next spring.

The cost of playing host to the championships is estimated at £1.5 million, and funding would come from the IAAF, the Government and the private sector. It would be one of the biggest international events, in terms of numbers, to be held here.

The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, was among those lobbied for support before the BLE delegation travelled to Budapest. Representations have also been made to the Department for Trade, Tourism and Sport.

It is nearly 20 years since the world cross country championship was held in Limerick. Since then, the world 15-kilometre championship and divisional finals of the European Cup have been held in Dublin.

Meanwhile, a sign of the changed times in international sport was forthcoming in Budapest when the IAAF admitted that it will have to find a new date for next August's European track and field championships in the city. The event overlaps with the city's formula one grand prix and, because of a shortage of accommodation and the heavy demands on the national broadcaster, it was agreed that would not be possible to proceed with the two simultaneously.

Significantly, it is the EAA which has had to back down and seek a new date for the athletics championships, a damming indictment of the priorities now being invoked for televised sport.

On the domestic front, Sunday's Glen Dimplex cross-Border road race, involving the co-operation of BLE and the Northern Ireland Athletics Federation, was acclaimed a big success.

The high cost of staging the race, which featured a truly international field, is considered by the organisers as money well spent at a time when sport is seen increasingly as an important arm of the peace process.

Also, from an athletics perspective, the promotion gave local runners the opportunity to engage high class opposition, and the fruits showed in Seamus Power's achievement in finishing fourth in the men's race, won by the Kenyan, Joseph Kimani.