Irish finetune

Tomorrow's Sindelfingen Indoor meeting in Germany provides four Irish athletes with their final tune-up before next weekend's World Indoor Championships in Lisbon. Mark Carroll and James Nolan run in the 1,500 metres, while Karen Shinkins (400 metres) and Peter Coghlan (60 metre hurdles) go in their specialised event.

Shinkins travelled straight to Germany from her US base in Atlanta in order to avoid any of the hassle surrounding the foot-and-mouth outbreak. Her form over 400 metres has been impressive so far this season, including two improvements on her Irish record.

Carroll has been preparing for the 3,000 metres in Lisbon and will use this race to sharpen his speed. But his quest for the gold medal was made even more difficult yesterday with the news that Olympic 5,000 champion Million Wolde of Ethiopia is also an intended runner, adding to a field that already includes world 1,500 metre record holder Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco.

A final decision on the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin is now expected to be made on Monday. Event director Chris Wall continues to hold out some hope that Leopardstown can still be used as the venue despite the foot-and-mouth crisis but it now seems increasingly likely that it will be switched to another country.

John Treacy, chairman of the Irish Sports Council, has admitted that the confirmed case in Co Armagh has complicated the picture. "This has raised the ante," he said, "and the problem is the spectators who will be coming from all over the country and from abroad.

A site in Portugal had been suggested as a possible alternative by the IAAF, but it now seems likely that Italy or Sweden will step in as hosts.