Promotion is Ireland's target in Slovakia

ATHLETICS/EUROPEAN TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS:IRISH ATHLETICS could do with a bit of a good-news story right now, and the hope is it will come at the new European Team Championships later this month. For the past 43 years the competition was staged as the European Cup, but it has been given a fairly radical overhaul this year and is now truly team based, with men and women's scores combined.

Initial rankings were based on the results of last year’s European Cup, and unfortunately Ireland were placed in what is effectively the third division – albeit by just one place – when ranked 25th of the 46 competing European nations. The top 12-ranked teams went into the main event, the second 12 into the First League, and the next eight – including Ireland – into the Second League.

This at least gives Ireland every chance of promotion, with the two best placed countries making the jump to the First League – and that’s the goal in Banska, Slovakia, on the weekend after next, June 20th-21st. A near full-strength squad was announced yesterday, and it includes Paul Hession, David Gillick, Derval O’Rourke and Eileen O’Keeffe.

Ireland struggled last year when men’s and women’s competitions were staged separately, with only three individual Irish victories: Hession in the 100 metres, Paul McKee (400 metres) and O’Keeffe (hammer). The women’s field events were particularly poor.

The hope now is that Ireland will fare a lot better against the seven other Second League countries: Bulgaria, Croatia, Latvia, Slovakia, Lithuania, Austria and Cyprus. “I believe that promotion is possible,” said team manager Patsy McGonagle.

Hession will again run the 100 metres, allowing Chris Russell the place in the 200 metres, with Gillick sticking to his specialist event, the 400 metres. The most notable absentee is Alistair Cragg.

The women’s 100 metres has still to be confirmed, while Joanne Cuddihy, although not named in the individual 400 metres, continues her comeback from injury with a place in the 4x400 metres relay.

Meanwhile, Sonia O’Sullivan will make her first foray into Irish Olympic officialdom at the European Youth Olympics, to be staged in Tampere, Finland, from July 18-25th. O’Sullivan was recently appointed on the board of the Olympic Council of Ireland, and will act as deputy chef de mission for the event.

The athletics team announced yesterday includes emerging star Ciara Mageean from Portaferry, who recently smashed O’Sullivan’s 22-year-old junior 800 metres record, and also Shane Quinn from Waterford (1,500 metres) and Adam Ingram from Belfast (800 metres).