PAT RICKEY yesterday expressed confidence that he would survive an attempt to topple him as president of the Olympic Council of Ireland next month.

The news that he is to be opposed by David Balbirnie came after the deadline for nominations, to be voted on at the council's annual general meeting in Dublin on October 4th, had closed on Friday.

It is the first time in recent years that the president has been opposed and it follows some bitter disputes involving the OCI and BLE during the Olympics in Atlanta.

"I welcome this challenge and I am very confident that I will be reelected," said Hickey. "David Balbirnie has been among my loudest critics over the last year and I am delighted that I will now have the opportunity of being proved right by my peers.

Hickey's confrontational style of presidency has attracted criticism but at this point he can claim the committed support of nine of the 27 constituent organisations, those of judo, gymnastics, boxing, weight lifting, sailing, baseball, rowing, shooting and tae kwon do.

All nine have backed his nomination whereas BLE is the only known sponsors of Balbirnie's candidature. Ironically, the name of the Irish Hockey Union, of which Balbirnie is a member does not appear on his nomination paper.

Earlier this year, Balbirnie, together with Brendan O'Connell, of the Irish Canoeing Union, resigned from the council after saying they were unhappy with some of its operations.

Hickey succeeded Des O'Sullivan as president in 1988 after mobilising the support of many of the minor bodies affiliated to the council. Since then he has been elected to membership of the International Olympic Committee but has never fully succeeded in distancing himself from controversy.

Predictably, BLE, the body which has been most vociferous in its opposition to the president, is now in the van to unseat him. More than that, it has lent its name to four other nominations which will make this the most interesting agm in the council's history.

Brendan Foreman, a respected name in Irish athletics for more than 50 years, is resigning as honorary treasurer to oppose Louis Kilcoyne as senior vice president. Kilcoyne, forced to relinquish his post as FAI president in March, is now being backed by the soccer body in his bid to stay on the OCI.

Pat McQuaid, of the Federation of Irish Cycling, is to run against the incumbent Shay McDonald for the junior vice presidency and Chris Wall, seldom less than trenchant in his opposition to the current regime, will challenge Dermot Sherlock as general secretary.

Although Foreman has been nominated by six organisations for the position of honorary treasurer, he is, apparently, determined to channel his energies into deposing Kiloyne.

Among those seeking places on the five person Executive Committee are at least three known adversaries of Hickey - Nick Davis, Brendan O'Connell and the former honorary medical officer of the council, Dr Moira O'Brien.