An athlete's dream of going to the Olympic Games was shattered last night when a High Court judge refused an order directing the Olympic Council of Ireland to include him in the Irish team. Mr David Finegan (24) a banker, of Peck's Lane, Castleknock, Dublin, claimed he had outranked Limerick runner Gary Ryan, now in Australia with the Irish 4 x 400 metres relay squad, even though his proper discipline was in the 100 and 200 metre relays. Mr Finegan said he had been led to believe he had a chance of making the squad up to the day before the team left. Mr Justice Murphy said it was with deep regret that he could not grant the relief sought following Mr Finegan's four years of dedicated preparation. He believed the court had not been presented with adequate proof necessary to ground a mandatory injunction. While certain representations may have been made to Mr Finegan with regard to his selection, they had come from the Irish athletics federation, Athletics Ireland, and not the Olympic Council.
Mr Justice Murphy criticised the two bodies for a lack of proper communication with each other and with individual athletes.