Irish Examiner view: Conflicting accounts at heart of issue

Some of the athletes starting the Ironman Ireland competition in Youghal last Sunday. There have been calls for a full investigation of last weekend’s events, and any such investigation will take particular interest in statements issued since by Triathlon Ireland and the Ironman organisation. Picture: John Hennessy

The terrible news from the Ironman event in Youghal over the weekend gave pause to all. It was difficult to comprehend that people might die while pursuing their favourite pastime, and the families and friends of Ivan Chittenden and Brendan Wall are surely still grappling with the shock of this appalling news.

There have been calls for a full investigation of last week-end’s events, and any such investigation will take particular interest in a flurry of statements issued in recent days.

Triathlon Ireland stated that it did not sanction the event. Ironman claimed Triathlon Ireland did not communicate that decision until after the swim was completed. Then Triathlon Ireland claimed last evening it told race organisers it would not sanction the event before the swim...

None of these statements will put an end to questions which have been raised since Sunday, such as the most obvious one of all — why the event took place at all in those conditions. The fact that the swimming distance was shortened, and the race moved from Saturday to Sunday for safety reasons before the competition got underway, could be taken as an acknowledgement that the conditions were not ideal.

It is also likely that questions will be asked about the appropriateness of continuing with the event despite two fatalities. It has been said that the logistics of stopping the event when it had already begun would have been difficult, but that argument carries an inherent suggestion that organisational challenges take precedence over human life. No matter how difficult it might have been, the event should have been stopped immediately when deaths were confirmed.

If two people die in the middle of an event, then the safety of the other participants can hardly be guaranteed. Those participants should have been informed of what had happened as soon as possible. In addition, continuing with a sports event in which people have lost their lives is a decision which devalues that loss of life. How many lives needed to be lost for the event to stop?

Last weekend in Youghal has raised many questions. All will need to be answered in full.

Loyal voters will be undeterred

The sheriff of Fulton County in the state of Georgia in the US put it bluntly a couple of weeks ago: “Unless somebody tells me differently... we’ll have a mugshot ready for you.”

The sheriff was referring to the prospect of former US president Donald Trump being booked for allegedly scheming to subvert the 2020 presidential election, a prospect which is expected to harden into reality tomorrow: Trump has said he will surrender then to authorities in Fulton County.

He is not expected to spend much time in the Fulton County Jail, which is probably just as well for him — the US Department of Justice is investigating the facility, where last year a dead body covered in insects was found in the jail’s psychiatric wing. Three people have died in Fulton County custody in the past month alone.

The power of the mugshot mentioned by the sheriff can hardly be overstated. Experts point to the photograph’s intrinsic significance as an indication of capture, itself a marker of the change in Trump’s circumstances.

This is not to say that he is about to submit gracefully. Trump’s campaign has already been trying to raise funds by selling a mugshot T-shirt on its website for $36 (€33).

Sharp-eyed observers point out that the image of Trump is far taller on the T-shirt — according to the mugshot height chart — than the real-life version.

If this is a scarcely believable prospect, consider that this latest development will hardly deter Trump’s base of devoted voters. Even as he makes history for all the wrong reasons, he remains the most likely option to oppose Joe Biden in the US presidential election next year on behalf of the Republican party.

Mugshot or not, Trump has a vice-like grip on a huge swathe of the American electorate, a grip that unfortunately does not appear to be loosening any time soon.

Another rising star to cheer on 

This evening, Rhasidat Adeleke will settle into the starting blocks for the World Championships 400 metres final in Budapest, the Dubliner becoming the first Irish athlete to compete in a World sprint final since David Gillick and Derval O’Rourke did so in Berlin fourteen years ago.

Adeleke’s achievement in making the final caps a terrific summer for Irish women in sport, with the performances of the Irish team at the recent Women’s World Cup in Australia an obvious highlight. The explosion in interest across all codes and sports must be harnessed for the benefit of girls and women everywhere.

Rhasidat Adeleke's achievement in making the final caps a terrific summer for Irish women in sport. Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

First, however, there is the matter of Adeleke’s appointment with destiny tonight. In her semi-final the former University of Texas student cruised to second place, showcasing her trademark power and elegance and qualifying with relative ease for the final. 

Her strength at the end of the race, one of the most physically demanding distances in athletics, makes her success thus far all the more remarkable. Adeleke will not be 21 until next week, meaning there is every chance she will become even better in the coming years.

Tonight has the potential to be Adeleke’s true arrival on the world stage. With any luck it is the first of many such finals which Irish supporters will cheer her in.

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