AAI must get it right with crucial appointment

ATHLETICS:London represents the Olympics of a lifetime in that they will never come so close to our doorstep again, writes Ian O'Riordan

I WENT FOR a run first thing Tuesday morning, driven by what Marlon Brando once described as "a kind of expiation for some of my own sins". I went for a run because the undeniable guilt of the previous day had sucked me into believing it was time to start training for next year's Dublin marathon.

Yeah, there's always next year, or the year after. Athletes of all levels have a natural inclination for living in the future. Somehow it's always about the next race, the next event, the next championship, that they always have time on their side, as if the present is a suspension of the future. There is no now, only the then, or the when, and nowhere does this manifest more than with talk of the next Olympics.

"Life is what happens while you're busy making other plans," said John Lennon, and it seems absurd to be talking about plans for London in 2012. The four years between then and now is where life happens, and yet it's inevitable the lives of any athlete thinking about competing will soon be caught up in what happens in London between July 27th and August 12th, 2012.

"1,364 days to go," flashes the London Olympic website, and that may seem like a lifetime away to some people. Yet at the same time London represents the Olympics of a lifetime in that they will never come so close to our doorstep again, nor come so close to bringing all the hype and ceremony that comes with the Olympics into our own backward - at least not in our lifetimes.

With that in mind there is every reason why the planning for London needs to start now, not in the sense of improving facilities and funding and all that carry on, but in the planning to make the most of what we have now - the athletics and coaches and teams already in place. It is too late to go back to the grassroots in the hope of nurturing fresh talent in time for London, but it's not too late to take the best of what we've got and turn them into something better. And that still takes some planning.

As it happens, two of the main protagonists in the build-up to London - Athletics Ireland (AAI), and the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) - are at a critical juncture in those plans. Just last night, OCI staged their elections for the officers and committee that will serve up to and including London 2012. In most instances it wasn't actually an election, but rather a re-election, as none of the five main officers were opposed, and will therefore continue in their role for another four years.

Pat Hickey thus continues for another term as OCI president, on his own premise it will be his last term. William O'Brien, representing archery, and John Delaney, representing football, will continue as first and second vice-presidents respectively. Dermot Sherlock, representing boxing, also continues as honorary general secretary, as does honorary treasurer Peader Casey, representing rowing.

Is thing a good thing? Depends on who you're asking, naturally. Hickey has undoubtedly had his critics since he took over the OCI presidency back in 1989, but there's no doubt either he has brought a force and awareness to the position, elevating it beyond the ordinary, and mastering it. This, after all, is what a presidency is all about, and it's hard to argue the OCI hasn't been in some ways better off as a result.

"This, definitely, is my last term," says Hickey. "Post-London is the perfect time to hand over the baton. But London is such a crucial, critical Olympics, and we can't afford not to get it right."

He's definitely right about that.

The election for the seven-person executive committee was a little more interesting, as one of the candidates to be unanimously backed was a certain Sonia O'Sullivan. There are some people who believe O'Sullivan still harbours secret ambitions of competing in London in 2012, and no one could deny her that, but in the meantime her election on to the OCI executive is a good thing.

O'Sullivan had approached Hickey herself shortly before Beijing, raising some issues about the way athletes had been selected and which, in Hickey's words, she was "less than happy with". So Hickey suggested she go away and think about it, but that one way she could make a difference was to allow herself be nominated on to the executive committee, which would give her the credence and authority to influence some of the key decisions in the build-up to London - such as establishing the qualifying criteria, identifying athletes for funding, etc.

It was Delaney who put forward her nomination, and O'Sullivan is unquestionably a positive addition to the OCI in the run-up to London. If she is allowed to influence such matters as selection criteria and the handling of athletes around the whole Olympic carnival then things couldn't be off to a better start.

So to the AAI, who for the past several weeks have been searching for a director of athletics, potentially the most important appointment in the run-up to London. The position was held by Max Jones, formerly of the British Olympic Association, but having been parachuted in halfway through the last Olympic cycle his impact was always going to be limited, which it was. There can be no such excuses this time and it's crucial that the right person lands the job, and goes on to maximise Irish athletics for all its worth in the four years leading to London.

AAI had hoped to ratify the new appointee on Wednesday, but for whatever reason, that didn't happen. Several candidates have been interviewed, and they have, apparently, identified the person they want. Speculating as to who that person will be is fairly pointless. The AAI are better off taking their time to ensure they get that right person - because they can't afford to get it wrong.

There is the hope, however, they'll come up with someone along the lines of Charles van Commenee, who in September was appointed as Britain's head of track and field, effectively the same job as the AAI director of athletics. Previously a technical coach with the Dutch Olympic Committee, Van Commenee is renowned for his no nonsense attitude to the sport and his dealings with his charges.

British decathlete Dean Macey had this to say about him: "There is no pussyfooting around with Charles. When you receive a compliment from him, you know you have deserved it. If he thinks you are a dick, he will tell you you're a dick."

Van Commenee also coached Britain's Denise Lewis to the Olympic heptathlon title in 2000 and Kelly Sotherton to bronze in the same event four years later. As she was celebrating finishing third in Athens, Van Commenee said she had run "like a weasel" in the 800 metres, the last discipline, and called her a "wimp" for missing out on silver. He reduced her to tears, although the athlete later admitted he was right.

Now more than ever that's the kind of attitude Irish athletics needs, the kind of person the AAI need to come up with. Despite some preconceptions, there are a lot of good people doing a lot of good work within the AAI, but I just wonder sometimes are they a little too nice. The next four years should be about cracking the whip, and if someone runs like a weasel or a wimp they should be told that, like if they're a dick then tell them they're a dick, because a true friend stabs you in the front. Oscar Wilde said that.