Sonia stronger but officialdom sets usual Irish split time record

FROM the running lanes to the marshy world of the main press centre

FROM the running lanes to the marshy world of the main press centre. Sonia O'Sullivan emerged wounded but strong yesterday from the traumas of the track here in Atlanta and strode briskly into the fog of Irish sporting politics.

The questions at an extraordinary press conference yesterday centred first on O'Sullivan's physical and mental well being after a draining stomach problem forced her withdrawal from Sunday's 5,000 metres final, and then on the continuing controversy as to what brand of running gear she has been wearing and "what brand of running gear she will be wearing.

Flanked by a cabinet's worth of Olympic Council of Ireland officials, the athlete dealt first with her truncated challenge for gold on Sunday. What went wrong?

"Well, I didn't finish", she said nervously. "The main reason was that I got it in my mind that the sooner I got off the track the sooner the 5,000 metre would be eliminated from my mind."

READ MORE

She spoke of several days of health problems which she just wished would go away. "Since the heats of the 5,000 I have had diarrhoea. I didn't tell anyone. I'm not someone who makes excuses. I'm someone who thinks that if I can hide a problem then nobody will find out."

She found out herself several, laps into Sunday nights race.

She'd felt good through the stretching routines out on the warm up track but found her strength missing when the critical break came in the course of the race.

"I kept trying to make myself think that I was myself", she said yesterday, picking her way carefully through what is still a tender area. "Then the race changed and before I knew it my real self was gone."

Yesterday Sonia was feeling better and stronger. Lucky.

Strong stomachs were needed for the stew of politics and accusations which was to follow.

The war of the brand names continues and the skirmishing gets uglier daily. The Georgia air was thick with flung mud rather than soupy humidity yesterday following elaboration on the news that O'Sullivan had been forced to strip and change into Asics gear in the tunnel leading to the track moments before her heat on Friday night.

The Olympic Council of Ireland and the Irish athletics body, BLE, have different contracts with different sports gear manufacturers. Like demented Bible toting fundamentalists, they have been waving their rule books at each other for over a year.

Mr Pat Hickey, president of the OCI and a member of the International Olympic Committee, read a statement at yesterday's press conference in which it was alleged that "a man identifying himself as the Irish team manager" had asked a senior track official to apprehend O'Sullivan before Friday night's heat.

Furthermore, Mr Hickey had tracked down the Atlanta technical officer, Mr Warren Ring, and he had confirmed this version of events.

Mr Nick Davis, the Irish team manager and vice president of BLE, vehemently denies the charge and has a different version of the Warren Report. "The only way you can make a protest is to make a written protest. There is no written protest made by me regarding the equipment worn by any athlete, be they Irish or otherwise."

Back at the press conference, the athlete herself, (remember the athlete?) expressed the opinion "that she would prefer to wear Reebok gear, that she feels more comfortable in it, that she has high hopes for the 1,500 metres which begins tomorrow.

She left with her family and the rules of combat were still being argued over. Today is a rest day at the track. Athletics competition resumes tomorrow. Squabbling continues right through the week.