Universities cross-country athletes hit with €1,115 bill

IRISH athletes competing in this week’s World Universities cross-country championships in Algiers must each contribute €1,115 towards their travel, accommodation and gear.

The squad’s management team informed competitors of the bill at the weekend. Enda Fitzpatrick, who heads up the athletics programme at DCU described the situation as “an absolute shambles.

“They were only told at 4pm on Sunday afternoon and any of them could have said they could not afford it. We can talk about new structures and funding but it would appear that, to date, very little has changed.”