As the discussion on gender quotas takes off, here are five female sports administrators making their mark...

Hype and hysteria wouldn’t find a welcome from Paul and Gary O’Donovan.

The most-medalled British athlete of his generation believes in a stress-free approach to life. It’s hard to believe that such a man with such a laid-back attitude became the premier 110m hurdler in the world for the best part of a decade. These days he has other passions, though he remains involved in athletics. And while vehemently against doping, he has plenty of sympathy for dopers. Part of the enigma that is Colin Jackson...

“Don’t let me get any notions,” said Lizzie Lee to her husband Paul on the drive back to Cork the day after the European Cross Country Championships.

Ciarán Ó Lionáird has called for increased funding for anti-doping agencies around the world in the wake of yesterday’s report from the World Anti-Doping Agency, which shed light on the extent of the doping problem in athletics.

Britvic has said that the market “re-entry” plan for its Fruit Shoot product in Britain and mainland Europe is “on track”, following a product recall in the summer which severely hampered the group’s full-year profits.

Jamaica’s Usain Bolt admitted he was delighted to prove his doubters wrong after retaining his Olympic 100m title in London.

The temperature in Rome was high yesterday, matched by the spirit in the Irish camp, if Billy Twomey is any sort of barometer.

Yesterday, the football associations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales expressed an interest in hosting the 2020 European Championships.

“THE heathers will be blazing in Wexford tonight,” Irish coach Billy Walsh predicted as he embraced fellow county man Adam Nolan, who yesterday became the second man from the Model County to qualify for an Olympic Games — Billy himself having qualified for the Seoul Olympics in 1988.

Aileen Morrison’s progress in Olympic year has continued with a gutsy second-placed finish at the opening European Cup triathlon event in the Portuguese town of Quarteira.

Preparations for the London Olympics are almost complete but comic actor Michael Palin has called for a bizarre late addition to the list of events.

David Gillick remains unfazed by the fact he has yet to qualify for the Olympic Games men’s 400m and revealed there may be mere weeks to spare before he achieves the required ‘A’ time.

A lot of the time people don’t know it’s her. They just think she looks a lot like “that athlete”.

Ciarán Ó Lionaird hopes to get Olympic year off to a flying start at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix in Boston on Saturday.

IRISH Olympian Thomas Chamney admits he can understand the pressures Martin Fagan was under when he decided to inject himself with EPO.

HE’S a granddad now, as well as a Senator, but as he enters his 60th year on the planet, Eamonn Coghlan is showing no signs of slowing down.

JOE SWEENEY may have other things on his mind but his coach, Jerry Kiernan, won’t be surprised if he adds his name to the list of qualifiers for next year’s Olympics.

CIARAN Ó LIONÁIRD flew to Portland, Oregon, on Tuesday to continue his build-up to next year’s Olympic Games under legendary marathon runner Alberto Salazar, who heads up the Nike Oregon Project.

THE introduction of a two year-cycle for the European Championships was originally met with scepticism, particularly as it means an extra event in Olympic year but Joanne Cuddihy is one athlete who welcomes the decision.

A leading Chinese civil rights activist was jailed today bringing international criticism of the country ahead of the Beijing Olympics.

There is a general consensus that the fastest athletes in the World Cross Country championships

THIS is Olympic year so we can expect big things from Ciarán Power — the most experienced Irish professional in the peloton — according to Martin O’Loughlin, who is former manager of the Olympic cycling team.

ATHLETES with their sights on the Olympic Games will get grants of up to €40,000 as well as benefiting from €5.935 million awarded to 15 focus sports for high performance plans and another €2.213m made available under the carding scheme announced by Sports Seamus Brennan, yesterday.

ROBERT HEFFERNAN launched his Olympic year with a sensational new national record for the 5k walk at the Woodies DIY Indoor Championships of Ireland at the Odyssey Arena at the weekend.

Gillian O’Sullivan was heartbroken before the Olympics. She shares some of the steps on the journey back to fitness with Brendan Mooney.

America’s track golden girls are looking forward to a glittering Olympics after they showed their younger rivals at the US team trials they still have what it takes to be in the medal hunt.

OLIVE LOUGHNANE has pulled out of next weekend’s IAAF World Race Walking Cup in Naumburg, Germany, following an injury that resulted in the loss of valuable training time in preparation for her Olympic bid in Athens next August.

Sonia O'Sullivan remains remarkably confident about what the Olympic year will hold despite losing her Great BUPA Ireland Run title in Dublin today.

KENNETH EGAN has joined Paul McCloskey in the semi-finals of their respective Olympic qualifying tournaments, just two fights away from qualification for Athens.

SONIA O’SULLIVAN leads Ireland’s European cross-country medal hopes tomorrow, pledging: “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t think I had a chance of winning.”