SPORTS SCIENCEFor 128 years the Hartmann name has been synonymous with lower Patrick Street in the heart of Limerick city - predominantly as a family jewellery business and more recently as home to Ger Hartmann's sports-injury clinic. That era is about to end as Hartmann has begun transferring his clinic to the University of Limerick.

The move was motivated by two factors: that section of Patrick Street is set for demolition, and Hartmann is aiming to expand his clinic in the run -up to the 2012 Olympics in London.

The new clinic, on the second floor of the University's sports arena, is being fitted out and Hartmann hopes to be working there by the end of next month.

"As soon as I heard that London had got the Olympics for 2012 I got very excited," Hartmann explains. "We'll never again have an Olympics so close to our own back door. That got me realising a few things, that this is a huge opportunity for Irish sport and also a chance for my clinic to help in that opportunity.

"2012 is less than six years away now, and it's right now we have to start putting things in place if we're to benefit.

"You can't afford to wait until 2011. And I honestly feel Limerick is in a great position to benefit, especially with Shannon airport so close, and all the facilities available at the university. The way I see it, Limerick has the best sports facility in Ireland, even if you just take the sports arena itself.

"And those facilities are improving all the time. The swimming pool is being expanded and there are six new astroturf pitches going in, all right on campus. You also have the river-bank run within 200 metres, plus the track, dining facilities and accommodation."

Hartmann's clinic on Patrick Street gained a worldwide reputation after its establishment there in 1998, in the building long occupied by the family jewellery business.

But with that part of the street marked for demolition to make way for the 4.5-acre Opera Shopping Centre - the biggest in Munster - it was time for Hartmann to seek a new home.

The former Irish triathlon champion had originally set up his clinic in Florida after qualifying in massage therapy there in 1992.

It soon became his ambition, however, to return home and make Limerick the treatment centre for athletes from all over the world. He converted the three upper floors into apartments, and numerous world-class athletes, from Sonia O'Sullivan to Paula Radcliffe to Colin Jackson, would visit, often staying for weeks at a time.

"I suppose I was always intent on staying in Limerick," he adds.

"There was definitely an option of moving to Dublin, but when I came back here from Florida in 1998 one of my dreams around that time was to bring the best athletes in the world to Limerick. And we did successfully for eight years, with athletes from around 20 countries.

"After much communication with the University of Limerick, and the head of sport there, Dave Mahedy, I think it was clear that this was the way forward. Patrick Street did work well over the years and was state-of-the-art for the time, but this is the next stage. This is a notch up, I believe.

"And I think it makes huge common sense. I'll still be independent of the university, but I believe we can both benefit from each other. On top of the athletes coming to my clinic for treatment there is the opportunity to use the facilities here. And definitely we can get some national teams to come and stay here ahead of London.

"A year or so ago I was actually thinking about down-scaling, but then London came along and this great opportunity for Ireland as well, so now this is scaling up.

"I'm committed to six years hard work but I'm very excited by it, continuing to promote Limerick as a place where world-class athletes come, for both training and treatment."

Hartmann's new clinic in a special section of the sports arena will have several more treatment rooms than Patrick Street, and he has also purchased a house next to the university to continue to provide his athletes with accommodation.

His move comes at a time when the Government's special task force on the 2012 Olympics has asked all third-level institutions to present ideas on how to attract and host national teams in the final countdown to the Games - and several new developments are likely to happen in the next few years.

NUI Galway has plans to build a sports complex that includes a 25-metre pool, and UCD is looking for funding to complete a 50-metre pool.