Draft document expected in September

A draft document setting out terms of agreement for the administration of Irish athletics on an island-wide basis is expected to be available to members of the three associations involved, Bord Luthchleas na hEireann (BLE), the national athletics and cultural association and the Northern Ireland Athletics Federation (NACA), by the end of September.

It follows the latest meeting of the three bodies in Dublin on Monday evening when there was an encouraging show of unanimity on the core issues.

Points of principle still divide BLE and the NACA in particular, but it is anticipated that these will yield to further negotiations over the next three months. Talks on a solution to the problems separating BLE and the NACA have been in progress at irregular intervals since 1985. Belfast joined the discussions at a later stage and welcomed the added momentum given to the process by the Good Friday Agreement.

The importance attached to an amicable settlement, which all three organisations accept is fundamental to the rationalisation of the sport in Ireland, is reflected in the high profile of the negotiators.

Paddy McGovern and Brendan Foreman, both highly influential in the agreement which brought BLE into existence following a merger between the AAUE and the old NACA in 1967, still oversee the BLE delegation.

Rita Brady, widely respected by all members of the athletics fraternity during her presidency of the NACA, is another key member of the negotiating team and among those presenting the Northern case is John Allen, secretary of the Northern Ireland Federation, and the former international athlete Adrienne Smyth.

Almost all the sticking points in earlier north-south talks have been resolved, with the dual mandate enabling Northern athletes to represent either Britain or Ireland removing a at least some of them.

Those choosing to compete with Ireland will still have the right to represent Northern Ireland in the Commonwealth Games. And those who opt for Britain may wear the green singlet in international competition other than the Olympic Games and European Championships.