Irish athletics must get back on track

Brendan Behan is often quoted on a startling fact about Irish life: "The first item on any agenda is the split," he is reported to have said. Brendan had a way of summarising things in a straightforward manner.

On occasions he could be even more straightforward than that, but this is still a family newspaper so we will draw a veil over the language that he might use in The Bailey, Davy Byrne's or the White Horse.

His immortal description of the Irish condition came to mind during the week with the news that the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) did not appear to want the newly constituted official body representing athletics to attend its annual general meeting.

Now, there are many confusing strands of opinion on this matter and it is not the intention here to get too deeply involved in the ebb and flow of accusations and innuendoes which have enlivened the pages of our newspapers during the past few days. What is important is that Irish sport as we approach the next Olympic Games could well become a laughing stock in the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and this must be avoided, even though some noses may be put out of joint.

Those of us with long memories are well aware of the traumas through which Irish athletics has gone throughout the years since the establishment of the modern Olympics before the turn of the present century.

For a time Irish athletes in track and field, as it has come to be known, competed for Great Britain. Later, as a result of political changes in Ireland in the early Twenties, Behan's "split" raised its ugly head and two associations began to control the sport.

In 1928 and 1932, Pat O'Callaghan won gold medals in Amsterdam and Los Angeles for Ireland, and Bob Tisdall also won a gold in 1932.

Politics, however, raised its head again in 1936 and O'Callaghan was robbed of the opportunity of his "three in a row" in Berlin as the political battles raged, not helped by interference from British sources.

A much more serious "split" followed in Europe about that time in the late Thirties which resulted in two Olympiads being cancelled, but the Irish flag was raised again in London in 1948. Nevertheless the "split" persisted in Irish track and field and, in Rome in 1960 and in Melbourne in 1956, attempts were made to disrupt the competitions by dissidents within the Irish sporting family.

In more recent times things seemed to have settled down. Ireland (South and North) experienced a great Saturday morning in Barcelona in 1992 when gold and silver medals were won in the boxing ring by Michael Carruth and Wayne McCullough. The Irish Olympic sporting family seemed at one once more.

Conflict, more to do with power and money rather than politics, between what was then BLE and the OCI surfaced in Atlanta again unfortunately. That calmed down, however, as the controversy over the Michelle Smith issue surfaced. But, clearly, the wounds did not heal and were opened again last week.

In the meantime, the governing body for Irish athletics went through a complicated process in recent months and eventually, and not without some pain for many, agreement was brought about for an overall body for Irish track and field.

This was, eventually, set up under the new banner of the Athletic Association of Ireland (AAI). A new age appeared to have dawned on the eve of the new millennium. Many who had been through the difficulties seemed to heave a collective sigh of relief because they felt the Rubicon had been crossed. In those circumstances, one would have thought that a period of mature reflection would not have been out of place. Sadly that did not materialise and the annual general meeting of the OCI was something of a "Hamlet without the Prince" event last week. Surely there must be some way for Irish sport to avoid the tortuous wranglings of the past in the best interests of the sportsmen and sportswomen who work so hard and who bring distinction to our country.

As Moll, in O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars said: "Is there nobody left, Mrs Gogan, with a tither o' wit?" as Dublin burned. The state of play between the OCI and the AAI may not have reached similar dramatic proportions, but the dangers are very real. Surely somebody must step in to talk and resolve the impasse. This was a momentous week in Irish political life. It is not expecting too much to expect that the range of goodwill gestures which flew back and forth across the Border might be replicated in Irish sporting life. There are many people in Irish sport who would serve the nation well in any attempt to break the deadlock which appears to exist. One such is John Treacy, who is chairman of the Sports Council and who has the respect of all sides.

Breandan O Conaire, the president of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association, is another who possesses the skill and calmness to approach this delicate task.

It might be wise, however, if someone such as the outgoing president of the GAA, Joe McDonagh, who is not associated with either of the parties, might be asked to mediate.

McDonagh has demonstrated his courage to approach difficult situations with understanding and tact in the past. Whatever the future holds, it is imperative that the present rift must be healed soon.

There is less than a year to go before the Olympic Games in Sydney. We must not send out a team under the banner of the OCI which includes people who are at loggerheads with the organising body.