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Sonia "Australian" O'Sullivan

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  • 15-12-2003 6:17pm
    #1
    Walter Ego
    Closed Accounts Posts: 329 ✭✭


    The news that Sonia O'Sullivan is going to represent Australia in the Commonwealth Games is no surprise to many people.

    Who is going to be her manager Barry "The Brit" McGuigan?


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    #2
    ecksor
    Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators Posts: 10,501 Mod ✭✭✭✭ecksor


    :rolleyes:


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    #3
    mike65
    Closed Accounts Posts: 88,978 ✭✭✭✭mike65


    http://www.irishrunner.com/aussos03.html

    and this from The Age (assie paper) -
    Ireland's 1995 world 5,000 metres champion Sonia O'Sullivan would like to run for Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games, she revealed.

    The 34-year-old 2000 Olympic silver medallist over 5000m said she would still compete for Ireland at the 2004 Olympics but after that she would think about a tilt at a Commonwealth title for Australia, where she trains and her boyfriend and manager Nick Bideau is Australian.

    "My next objective is the Olympics in Athens for Ireland," said O'Sullivan, who leads the Ireland team into action at the European cross-country championships here on Sunday.

    "After that, yes, there is a possibility that I will compete at the Commonwealth Games for Australia (to be held in Melbourne)," added O'Sullivan, who is a two-time world cross country champion.

    O'Sullivan said she hoped that the Irish team, which also includes former European champion Catherina McKiernan, would pose a formidable challenge to the British team led by distance running phenomenon Paula Radcliffe.

    "The English won the Rugby World Cup.

    "But in cross country there are no lineouts, no scrums and one runs all alone.

    "I hope that in the team event we can pose a threat to Great Britain"

    Mike.


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    #4
    Walter Ego
    Closed Accounts Posts: 329 ✭✭Walter Ego


    If she makes the choice to represent another nation for whatever reason thats fine by me.

    But the choice must be final and binding.

    I don't think it would be acceptable to later represent Ireland.
    It would be wrong to change allegiance from one race meeting to the next.

    Where would her loyalty lay if Ireland and Australia were to compete internationally?


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    #5
    seamus.carey
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16 ✭seamus.carey


    I don't see why Sonia shouldn't try to represent Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games and I don't think any Irish person has the right to judge her because of it.

    Sonia has and always will be an Irish athlete. She has given more enjoyment to this country and been more of an positive exponent of Irish athletics than any other. From her World Student Games successes in 1991, right through to her leading home the Irish women to a team silver medal at this weekend's Euro Cross Championships, she has been a wonderful ambassador for this country.

    But the reality is that in order to become successful, in order to compete on a level playing field with the rest of the world, Sonia had to train abroad. She started in the UK and subsequently moved to Australia with her boyfriend and two Australian-born children where she now spends about 6 months of the year.

    For these reasons, Australia is obviously going to hold some importance to her and why should she not attempt to compete for her adopted country. If one researched Sonia's view on this properly, you would see that she has already insisted that this would in no way affect her Irish affiliation. She hopes to compete for Ireland at the 2004 Olympics and as a one-off, for Australia, at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in her home-town of Melbourne.

    Rather than critiqing two of Ireland's most celebrated athletes, Barry and Sonia, we should celebrate their successes with them and look at why these athletes needed to leave Ireland in the first place, i.e. lack of sports funding and proper training facilities.

    Just my two cents....
    Seamo


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