Meeting to decide what gear is worn at Olympics

ASICS or Reebok? The petty, domestic squabbling between BLE and the Olympic Council of Ireland which has been on going for over two years to determine what sporting apparel will be worn by Ireland's track and field athletes at the Olympic Games in Atlanta has been taken to a higher plane.

A meeting is scheduled to take place next week between two of the world's major sporting power brokers Dr Primo Nebiolo, the president of the International Amateur Athletics Federation, and Juan Samaranch the president of the International Olympics Council which will ultimately decide the outcome.

BLE are committed to a four year sponsorship deal with Asics, which actually finishes on December 31st next, while the OCI have a contract with Reebok. Ironically, Ireland's leading hope for a track medal, Sonia O'Sullivan, also has a personal deal with Reebok but, in previous major championships, she has worn the clothing decreed by her national federation.

The issue is set to rear its head again at this weekend's BLE Annual Congress in Ballinasloe. Its secretary, Liam Hennessy, referring to the stance unanimously adopted by the IAAF at its congress last year when they declared their rules were immutable and clearly sided with BLE.

we have been clearly vindicated in our stance, we need a definitive response from the IAAF ... (and) this issue should never come into the public domain for future Games," he writes.

While the BLE have received, no correspondence from the OCI on this matter in the past year, OCI president, Pat Hickey, last" night revealed the matter will bed discussed by Nebiolo and Samaranch tomorrow week. "A area exists at the moment."

We will a bide by whatever decision is taken by the two men," said Hickey.

"I want to emphasise that the OCI does not wish to make any waves at this time," he added. "The Games and the athletes are more important than officials."

Hennessy too is keen to take the diplomatic road, although insisting that, as far as they are concerned, the status quo exists which means Ireland's athletes will be wearing Asics. Unless Nebiolo makes an amazing U turn in his conclave with Samaranch, which appears unlikely.

This has been a bigger issue than just BLE and the OCI all along, said Hennessy. "We have always felt it is something that should have been sorted out at a higher level. We don't want to rock the boat now with the Olympics so close.

The OCI say they will go along with whatever decision is taken at next week's meeting between two of the most important men in the sporting world, but (with a number of other countries, including Canada affected) it is believed the issue will figure prominently of the IOC's agenda for Congress Atlanta this summer which should rule out any possible recurrence Sydney in 200 in a wide ranging report Hennessy also refers to the rift within BLE arising from the appointment of a Marketing Administrator Ronnie Long, who resigned as president to take up the post and outlines the whole affair, adding "the sport needs to move on from this issue let this Congress be the end of it."

Christy Wall, the BLE's international secretary, backs the IAAF's war against doping, approving Dr Nebiolo's commitment "to stamp out this form of cheating by increasing spending each year on anti doping measures including out of competition testing."

But Wall adds "This stance is at times a lonely one when groupings, even those as influential as the International Olympic Committee sought to give credence to a return to the two year ban which the IAAF Congress in Tokyo increased to four years."