Special Olympics supremo Mary Davis is to head a new national citizenship task force to urge people to get involved in voluntary work in their communities.

THE public face of Special Olympics 2003 that has been smiling triumphantly from advertisement posters for several weeks was never more radiant as Laura Jane Dunne became the first Irish athlete to stand on the presentation podium at the National Aquatic Centre yesterday.

MARY DAVIS is on her third phone of the day, a day which began at 7am and is now 15, verging on a less than sweet 16 hours old. The borrowed mobile is staple-gunned to the side of her head, its battery power waning more than Davis herself.