Qualification standard set for Olympic hopefuls

THE Olympic Council of Ireland has left nobody in any doubt about qualification for next year’s Olympic Games in Beijing by announcing the qualification standards for 13 sports.

In past years, the contentious issue has resulted in protracted discussion and, in some instances, outright fury right up to the eve of the Games.

But this time around the OCI has given early and clear warning as to the acceptable standards and the closing dates for achieving them along with an insistence that athletes must also prove their fitness before ratification.