O' Sullivan joins athletes to appeal grant aid decisions

Athletics/Sports Council grants: Hanging around a Dublin airport hotel was not the way Sonia O'Sullivan had planned to recover from her exertions in Sunday's London Marathon, yet she felt obliged to make an appearance at a meeting arranged there yesterday by the Irish Sports Council. It wasn't organised to offer congratulations on her eighth-place finish in London, but instead to hear her appeal - and that of many athletes like her - against the Sports Council's decisions regarding grant aid for the coming year.

O'Sullivan was one of several major championship medallists of recent years to be told last month their grant aid had been completely cut for 2005. Thirteen Irish athletes appealed the decision, including James Nolan, Karen Shinkins and Gary Ryan. But it looks like being another week at least before the outcome of those cases is known, as around 30 athletes from 10 other sports will also have their appeals heard over the next week.

All the athletes were given about 15 minutes with the appeals panel yesterday, which will make its decision independent of the council's high performance unit. Sitting on the panel were Bobby Begley of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Maurice Ahern of the Sports Council board, former GAA president Seán McCague, and Sports Council observer Mark Howard.

Elaine Fitzgerald, the high-performance director of Athletics Ireland, said: "All the athletes feel they got a fair hearing, and were given every opportunity to make their case . . . we'll just have to wait and see what happens next."

All the home-based athletes made an appearance, including middle-distance runner Gareth Turnbull and sprinter Paul Brizzel, while those training overseas - including Nolan and Shinkins - were represented by Athletics Ireland.

Also going before the panel yesterday was European indoor 400 metres champion David Gillick, who was appealing as part of the Irish relay squad. Last year David McCarthy and Rob Daly joined Ryan and Gillick on the team that won bronze medals at the World Indoor championships in Budapest, but neither Daly nor Ryan got any grant aid for the coming year.

"Of course as far as myself and Dave McCarthy are concerned we are happy to have got any grant," explained Gillick, "but we feel it was the four of us that represented Ireland in that race, and so the four of us should make the appeal together."

Gillick received €19,100 on the basis of his gold medal won in Madrid, but he believes this year's grant aid stopped short of meeting requirements: "I do want to see Rob and Gary get recognised for their achievements too. But it's the principle as well. We matched the criteria and I think it's only right they follow through with that."

While 53 athletes were supported in 2004, only 24 were initially deemed worthy of support this year. That in turn resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of money invested directly into the athletes. Last year, and before additional Olympic grants were announced, a total of €452,625 was spread around the 53 athletes. For 2005 that amount had dropped to €287,225.

Meanwhile, details of the 2005 Adidas Dublin Marathon were announced yesterday, including confirmation of the traditional race date of the Bank Holiday Monday, which falls on October 31st. The race will again double as the National championships of Ireland, and feature €95,000 in prize money - including €15,000 to both men's and women's winners.