A number of track and field athletes without Irish passports who have qualified to represent Ireland at tournaments being held outside the country are facing an anxious wait, as the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) meets to discuss its position on the matter.
Conflicting reports have been coming from inside the governing body for Irish athletics, with a spokesperson indicating that athletes without Irish passports may not be allowed to represent Ireland either at home or abroad.
The spokesperson for the AAI told Metro Eireann: “They [athletes without passports] would need an Irish passport to show that they were Irish before they could represent Ireland.”
A representative of Sport Against Racism Ireland (Sari) met with the AAI earlier this week to discuss the matter, which is believed to be affecting at least three young athletes.
“They were not exactly clear on what their position is going to be on this,” said Ken McCue, a Sari representative who was at the meeting. He told Metro Eireann: “The organisation [AAI] is going to examine the issue formally. I pointed out that they’re going to have to deal with it more and more, and they said they realise that, but they couldn’t give me much more than that, beyond agreeing that it is something they will have to look at.”
In contrast, the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has made detailed representations on behalf of players without travel documents in order for them to represent Ireland at competitions abroad.
One of the young track and field athletes affected is Kelvin Ekamen, who sprinted his way onto the Irish Schools Athletics team, which is set to compete in a tournament abroad later this year.
However, the teenager, who is originally from Nigeria, has yet to receive word on whether he will get permission to stay in Ireland.
