Plans in works for indoor track facility

By Mark Jones

DUBLIN — Ireland’s track and field athletes are about to benefit from a top-class indoor training facility. The sports minister, Dr. Jim McDaid, said last weekend that the government is prepared to invest £3.5 million to build an indoor complex at Santry in Dublin.

Although McDaid made it clear that a feasibility study had to be carried out first, he believed a final decision on the project would be made by the autumn.

Welcoming the initiative, Sonia O’Sullivan said every Irish athlete would be delighted by the news. "Although it won’t affect me directly, I’ve been aware of the need for a facility like this for years," she said. "All-year training can only be good for our athletes, especially the young ones coming through."

Meanwhile, the unification of country’s three track and field bodies came into clearer focus during the BLE’s annual congress in Ballybofey, Donegal, last weekend. Talks involving the BLE, the National Athletics and Cultural Association and the Northern Ireland Athletics Federation were said to be in their final stages.