PETER MAHER, the international marathon runner who competed for Canada in the Olympic Games in Seoul and Barcelona is the latest to declare an interest in representing Ireland in Atlanta.

Maher, born in Ottawa but reared in Ireland, returned to his native country in 1986 to become Canada's foremost long distance runner. Because of a technicality, he cannot compete for them in Atlanta but after being cleared by the Canadian Federation, he is now anxious to take up an opportunity he spurned nine years ago.

On that occasion, he was chosen to run for Ireland in the 1987 World championships in Rome but having moved back to Ottawa some months earlier, he chose, instead to wear the Canadian colours.

"That was down purely to the fact that I was trapped by economic circumstances," he said. "I had a wife and two young children and just didn't have to the money to travel back to Ireland. Besides, the Canadian athletics authorities were subsidising me and that, effectively, tied me to them.

"But passing up the chance of running for Ireland in Rome, is something I've always regretted. And as an Irish citizen who lived in the country for 25 years, I'd now dearly like the chance of putting things right."

Maher, who has run for Canada in every major international marathon event since 1987, finishing 10th in the World championship in Stuttgart three years ago, is some way ahead of the current crop of Irish marathon runners.

Whereas no home based representative has broken the marathon qualifying standard of two hours 16 minutes, he has twice been under the figure this season and the fact that he currently lives in Florida is an added plus for his claims.

BLE yesterday acknowledged receipt of Maher's belated application but declined to comment on the possibility of his being included in the squad.

Meanwhile, athletes hoping to make a late charge for a place in the party going to Atlanta were yesterday given a 10 day extension by BLE officials.

Plans to nominate the team this week were unexpectedly revised at a meeting of BLE's management committee on Wednesday night after delegates had discussed the options open to them. The squad will now be selected on July 8th for approval by the Olympic Council of Ireland with provision for late additions, up to the July 16th deadline.

"By putting back the selection date, we are keeping the door open for athletes peaking late, in addition to giving ourselves time to check on the fitness of those who have already got A qualifying standards" said a spokesman.

A record number of 23 athletes has so far achieved qualifying marks and with the decision to defer the closing date for selection, that total may well climb in the next few weeks.

The effect will be to heighten interest in the Europa Cup matches at the weekend when the Irish men's team, newly promoted to the First League, take on Portugal, the Czech Republic, Greece, Turkey, Hungary and Slovenia in Lisbon.

It represents uncharted territory for the Irish and, fittingly, one of the men who contributed most to last season's successful promotion challenge in Talinn, got belated recognition yesterday.

Daniel Caulfield, a surprising winner of the 800 metres in Estonia but then left out of the team for Portugal because of the more convincing claims of David Matthews has been summoned to fill the vacancy occasioned by the withdrawal of the UCD runner.

Just 24 hours after running the fastest 1000 metres of his career in training in London, Matthews pulled out of the travelling party because of a chest infection.

Carroll's place in the 3000 metres goes to the improving Shane Healy who, under the shrewd tuition of Eamonn Coghlan, has reeled off a series of personal best performances in the last month.

T J Kearns returns from injury to face a searching examination of his form in the 110 metres hurdles and Niall Bruton, another of the senior members of the squad, will be expected to make his presence felt in the 1500 metres.

On paper, the Portuguese runner Luis Jesus is capable of keeping company with Bruton but when it condenses into a test of speed over the last 200 metres, the Dubliner should hold a decisive advantage.

Among those confronting Cormac Finnerty in the 5000 metres will be the inaugural European cross country champion, Paulo Guerra, but no less than Bruton, the Mullingar athlete will be expected to survive the challenge in the closing stages.