Success has forced BLE to tighten their belts

THE 30th anniversary of the formation of BLE ought to have been a cause of celebration when delegates assembled for their annual congress at Carl ow on Saturday.

Instead, it was a gathering darkened by some disquieting revelations on the parlous finances of an organisation whose sense of husbandry had never previously been questioned.

Ironically, the worsening situation is attributable, in part, to the volume of success enjoyed by Irish athletes, and to an improved infrastructure which has contrived to blow budgets way off course.

Liabilities exceed current assets by £36,356, and the board's auditors, noting that further expenditure excesses would be unsustainable, say the position can only be redressed by either increasing income, reducing expenditure, or a combination of both.

This could have implications for staffing levels at a time when many perceive the appointment of a full-time general secretary to bring BLE into line with other national athletics federations, as essential.

Michael McKeon, the president, was at pains to emphasise that the situation is not yet critical, but still warned delegates of some difficult times ahead.

"We are victims of our own success," he said. "We now produce more qualified athletes than we can afford to send to major events. Only the generosity of the Minister for Sport, Bernard Allen, made it possible for us to send a team to the world junior championships in Sydney.

"We must put in place measures which will ensure savings of between £30,000 and £40,000 in the current year. To achieve it, we can shed labour, shed assets, or generally curb expenditure. Unfortunately, there are no easy options on offer," he warned.

Among the more radical suggestions was that elite athletes, in receipt of State subsidies, should pay their own travel and accommodation expenses on foreign assignments.

Some feel the subvention of such competitors is diverting hinds from emerging athletes who should be the main focus of the board's attention.

In an emotive presidential address, interpreted as one of the best of recent years, McKeon spoke of a difficult year in which both the idealism of the board and its commercial survival had been put under threat.

"It was also one in which the officers of the board were vilified, individually and collectively, as never before." Then, to ringing applause, he made an oblique reference to the well-documented dispute with the Olympic Council of Ireland last summer

"I cannot allow congress to pass without congratulating Nick Davis for the manner in which he discharged his responsibilities as manager of our Olympic track and field squad," he said. "I want to thank him for his excellent work in such trying circumstances in Atlanta."

Otherwise, the anniversary congress could easily be consigned to the list of those most readily forgotten. With indecent haste, delegates approved a Southern Region motion that: "BLE recommends the introduction of blood testing at national and international level".

Only two delegates spoke to the motion, and of these, Nick Davis was quite the more cogent in warning against the hazards of adopting it without due consideration. In spite of the legal hazards involved, however, only a handful of delegates opposed its adoption. A kindred proposal, that injected pain killers be banned, was also carried.

A motion which would have given home-born athletes preference over those born outside the country in the selection of teams for major events was lost.

The outgoing officers were return unopposed.