Derval O'Rourke: I feel exhausted by stories of cheating and corruption. It’s worn me down

THE next seven weeks is an incredibly important time in the life of any Irish athlete that has aspirations of toeing the line at the Olympic Games, writes Derval O’Rourke

This weekend Irish athletes take to the track at the National Championships at the Morton Stadium, Two weeks later will see an Irish team compete at the European Championships and athletics will reach its peak in Rio from August 9. The races will go on despite scandals swirling around the sport. It’s hard not to wonder does athletics really matter anymore?

Four years ago I raced at the London Games, my third Olympics. It mattered an incredible amount to me to be on the track and trying to race as fast as I could in an Irish singlet. This summer I will be in a totally different position. I’ll be working for all the events doing analysis.