TENNIS: Tennis Ireland has acquired the services of the celebrated Belgium coach Ivo Van Aken, reports Pat Roche. Earlier this month Aken plotted victory for his country as non-playing Fed Cup captain in the 2-1 final win over Russia in Madrid .
Belgium became only the eighth nation to win the cup and Aken's strategy is believed to have been a telling factor. The Belgian's visits to Ireland will be on a monthly basis and he will act as chief consultant to Tennis Ireland's long-term junior development programme.
"We are pleased to have such a proven coach helping us to bring our young players along," said Tennis Ireland chief executive officer Des Allen. "We have promising junior boys and girls in all four provinces who are set to benefit."
Aken will also work with the principal coaches throughout the provinces and will be in regular contact with his Irish Fed Cup counterpart Pete Lowther, who is the non-playing captain for Ireland's Cup team preparing for the qualifiers in Pretoria on April 8th.
Meanwhile, the Ireland Davis Cup team for Armenia has been drawn in the same group as Slovenia and Ghana.
ATHLETICS: Athletics Ireland yesterday announced their management appointments for the major international events of 2002, reports Ian O'Riordan. One of the most attractive of these takes place on home soil on March 23rd-24th, when Leopardstown racecourse hosts the World Cross Country Championships.
Jerry Kiernan is reappointed as team manager for the event. Kiernan took charge of last year's team which was originally meant to compete in the Dublin venue, but the event ended up in Ostend, Belgium due to the foot-and-mouth outbreak.
Kiernan's undisputed knowledge of distance running and team-orientated preparations on that occasion helped the Irish men to an eighth place team finish (their best since 1985) and the senior women to sixth place in the short course race.
APPOINTMENTS - Paddy Marley (Clonliffe): European Indoor Championships (Vienna, March 1-3rd). Patsy McGonagle (Finn Valley) and Michael Quinlan (Bandon): European Cup (Estonia, June 22-23rd). Neil Martin (Finn Valley): World Junior Championships (Jamaica, July 16-20th). Patsy McGonagle (Finn Valley): European Championships (Munich, August 6-11th). Liam Hennessy (Civil Service): World Race Walking Cup (Turin, October 12-13th).
SWIMMING: Antwerp and the European short-course swimming championships beckon for five of Ireland's top competitors, reports Pat Roche.
Seven were named on Monday to compete at the prestigious event from December 14th but Olympians Chantal Gibney and Emma Robinson have been ruled out. Gibney is tied up at university in the US while Robinson is forced out with injury.
National coach Ger Doyle and team manager Betty Beattie of Lisburn make up the backroom team.
IRELAND - Andrew Bree (Ards), Julie Douglas (Bangor), Donal O'Neill (Trojan), Michael Williamson (Lisburn), Lee Kelleher (Sunday's Well).
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