Unity on track but Hackett is denied vote

Athletics/ Special Congress: All the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) need now is something to celebrate on the track after they voted over the weekend, in effect, to become one centralised governing body.

The aspiration - a few of the bodies in question have yet to signal agreement - is that the AAI will embrace branches of the sport hitherto administered separately, including schools, colleges, veterans, hill running and business-houses athletics.

It would be timely for the restructured AAI if Alistair Cragg baptised the new body with a medal next weekend in the European Cross Country Championships in Tilburg, Holland.

Still, most of the delegates at the AAI's special congress in Portlaoise on Saturday night, who voted through changes that they hope will modernise and streamline athletics, should be pleased enough that the important decisions were eased through with little rancour and in an atmosphere generally congenial.

But one contentious issue is that the incoming chief executive officer (CEO), Brendan Hackett, will not have a vote on the board.

That was not even debated, as president Michael Heery withdrew - with unanimous support - the motion that would have given the CEO a vote.

Hackett will take up his position in January, and that he will not have a vote could affect his ability to see through changes.

"From our perspective the meeting did go smoothly," said the AAI's vice-president, Patsy McGonagle.

"I think people were generally upbeat and very positive about the changes. We had to deliver certain things to the Irish Sports Council (ISC), and we believe we have done that.

"In a sense we are on the road and have made serious progress. It is now athletics in Ireland under one umbrella."

The association is not an All-Ireland body, as the Northern Ireland Athletics Federation (NIAF) continues to govern the sport in its jurisdiction.

But the AAI have secured a seat on their management committee, while in a reciprocal agreement the NIAF also have a seat on the new AAI board.

"The universities have met and agreed to come on board. The schools are holding their AGM next week and will decide whether they wish to come in or not," added McGonagle.

The delegates also agreed that an independent chairman should come in for two years to help in the transition and the accommodation of the various bodies under the one name.

The decision was passed with a two-thirds majority. Overall, the executive played their hand cautiously but firmly.

The significant changes and the agreement of the various bodies to move forward as one were vital if athletics in Ireland, which has been going though hard times in recent years, was to modernise and regroup as a body acceptable to the ISC for full funding.

"We hope now that we can turn things around," McGonagle said. "There are a lot of good people in the sport and good volunteers. We have a funding agreement with the ISC, and when we meet them they will, hopefully, deliver."

A number of counties, including Meath, Limerick, Cork and Leitrim, proposed the new board include a nominee from each province.

That proposal was accepted, which means the new board will become slightly more numerous than the previous body, which had 16 representatives.