Athletics gala set for Sligo

Ireland’s top athletes and a host of top internationals will converge on Sligo next month to compete in the Nissan International Games and to inaugurate Institute of Technology Sligo’s new world-class athletics arena.

The €1.2m sports facility is the only all-weather athletics track between Galway and Derry and will allow Sligo to host events from local community games to international level.

The new facilities will be formally opened on Sunday, May 30. The opening ceremony will take place at 1pm, and the Nissan International Games, which will be the first major track and field event of the year begins at 2pm. Athletes of the calibre of walkers Rob Heffernan and Gillian O’Sullivan, silver medallist in the 2003 world championships, javelin thrower Terry McHugh and high jumper Adrian Dwyer will compete.