Disbanded Athletes' Commission to go down fighting

THE officers of the disbanded Athletes’ Commission are not going to depart the scene just yet.

The Secretary, Paul Donovan, last night called on athletes to show their support by attending next Friday night’s annual general meeting at the West County Hotel at 7 pm.

The Galway man, an Olympian in LA in 1984 and in Barcelona eight years later, was refused admission to Wednesday night’s annual general meeting of the Olympic Council of Ireland.

“We will have further meetings before our AGM next week and we will be challenging the decision in some way,” Donovan said. “Obviously non-Olympians would not have a vote but we are opening up the meeting to observers,” he said. “We want to be as transparent as possible.

“As regards competition our day has come and gone. This is about the athletes and competitors coming behind us. We are trying to lay the foundation for them so that they will not have to experience the same pitfalls or the same negativity that we experience. I think that in our own small way we can make a difference.”

He said that they did not think that the fact that the Athletics Association of Ireland did not support them on Wednesday night was significant.

“But I would certainly say that we appreciate the gesture by those federations who did support us,” he added. “Their action in itself proved that federations are progressive in their thinking and that they want to bring about change.

“I honestly feel that we have something to offer the OCI. We could play a part in formulating policy and philosophy.

Meanwhile, any plans to drop racewalking from the Olympic programme will be vigorously opposed by the President of the Olympic Council of Ireland, Pat Hickey, who is also General Secretary of the European Association of National Olympic Committees.

The IOC Programme Commission has recommended that Golf and Rugby be added to the Olympic programme and that Baseball, Softball and the Modern Pentathlon be dropped.

They have also suggested that certain sports could lose events: Such as Kayak Slalom; Three Day Eventing and Race walk events.