British decision may shatter Irish Olympic dreams

THE Olympic dreams of several Irish athletes may be jeopardised by a proposed change in the British Olympic Association charter to include Northern Ireland as part of Team Great Britain for Athens this summer.

Olympic Council of Ireland president Pat Hickey says the OCI are mystified at the BOA decision to change their charter. According to the IOC, the OCI represents the entire island of Ireland but it has let athletes who qualify for the British team, which has stricter qualification standards, to compete under the British flag.

"We have always had the most cordial and positive working relationship with the BOA," said Hickey. "We both worked extremely well together and this is why this move shocks and saddens me so much. There seems to be something underhand here."

The London 2012 bid team were depending on Hickey's weighty support to boost their chances of bringing the Olympics back to Britain the OCI president is also secretary-general of the European Olympic Committees. "Given that the bid team were over in Dublin with me recently, I can't understand this at all," he said.

Should the BOA dig in in its efforts to claim Northern athletes, the OCI may enlist the help of the Government, which would do irreparable damage to the London bid. The IOC is totally opposed to governments becoming involved in what it sees as its own internal affairs. OCI general-secretary Dermot Sherlock sent a letter to his BOA counterpart Simon Clegg on Monday, outlining Irish concerns at any change in the status. The letter was also sent to the IOC headquarters, who confirmed yesterday that the OCI charter, which encompasses athletes from both sides of the Border, has already been accepted. They also said they have yet to approve a charter from the BOA, contradicting what some British officials had told the OCI.

"There has never been a problem with athletes from Northern Ireland competing for the Irish Olympic team before," said Hickey. "What the BOA are proposing is actually discriminatory against athletes, and it will jeopardise Irish athletes from participating in Athens, those that can qualify under our times but not theirs."

Andrew Bree, the highest-profile Northern athlete expected to compete in Athens, swam for Ireland in Sydney, so there is unlikely to be any difficulties with his position. The OCI have had jurisdiction for the entire island since former IOC president Lord Killanin pressed the issue of the OCI being responsible for all 32 counties.

The OCI charter giving them full responsibility for all of Ireland was agreed by former IOC president Avery Brundage and then reinforced by Killanin when he became president.

While the OCI have been given assurances by the IOC that their charter has been accepted, it has done little to dispel the anger. The OCI are also infuriated by how they discovered the proposed changes by accident. Sherlock was perusing British guidelines and noticed Team Great Britain would be made up of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.