SPORTS/DigestSPORTS FEDERATION: The inaugral meeting of the Federation of Irish Sports will take place tomorrow at the City West Hotel in Saggart, Dublin, to represent the needs of sport, outline sports' interest and to act as a lobby group, writes Johnny Watterson.

A steering group, made up of a number of national governing bodies, has spent the last three months developing a framework for the new body. The federation, among other things, hopes to raise the political awareness, improve State investment and to promote contact and co-operation between the various federations.

Between 65 to 70 national governing bodies are expected to attend the meeting, which will be chaired by Dan Flinter, chief executive, Enterprise Ireland.

One of the main objectives of the new body in this election year will be to convince politicians that Exchequer spending on sport is not discretionary and that the full-scale, on-time implementation of the Sports Ireland Campus Ireland project is prioritised.

The fear among many of the smaller Irish federations is that if the National Stadium does not go ahead at Abbotstown, then many of the ancilliary facilities planed for the location may also be scrapped or greatly down sized.

The IRFU and FAI have members on the steering group, Philip Brown and Brendan Menton respectively, while the GAA will be sending a representative, Moira Graham, to tomorrow's meeting.

BADMINTON: For the first time since 1967, its inaugural year, the Shires Leinster Open will take place outside Dublin, at Carlow Lawn Tennis Club, writes Mary Hannigan. Starting today and finishing tomorrow evening the event has attracted a large international entry, including several full-time players from China, Denmark, Sweden, Scotland and England.

Magnus Repsgard, ranked sixth in Sweden, David Forbes (Scotland) and Alan Clarkson, the English number 10, are among the favourites for the men's singles title, with Bruce Topping, Ciaran Darcy and Donie O'Halloran offering the best chance of a local success.

Dublin-based Chinese player Karen Bing should be in contention in the women's event.The finals begin at 7.0 tomorrow evening.