Sonia O’Sullivan is a fitness doubt for the Commonwealth Games after sustaining a hamstring injury in training.
O’Sullivan’s partner Nic Bideau told BBC Sport that the Irish-born athlete would decide on Monday whether to compete in Friday’s 5,000 metres final.
The Irish native was cleared to compete for Australia in Melbourne after being granted dual citizenship last month.
O’Sullivan has said she also wants to compete for Ireland in the European Championships later this year.
The Irishwoman has been granted permission to compete for Australia at the games despite plans to change eligibility rules in Melbourne.
Under normal rules she would have to wait three years to be alllowed to compete for another country.
But organisers accepted that the Commonwealth Games are not covered by the rule, though the loophole will be closed after the Melbourne event.
Olympic champion Cathy Freeman has been among those to question whether O’Sullivan should be allowed to run for Australia. :eek:
“Olympic champion Cathy Freeman has been among those to question whether O’Sullivan should be allowed to run for Australia”.
And i couldnt agree more think its a disgrace, fair enough if she stays put but to go back and compete for her native country again after this meet… we are kidding ourselves here…if only gloria had of been given the same treatment…
although she did make our governments customs security look pretty shity…
been in the news here about O’Sullivan competing in the comm games for Aust then after this one off appearance, will return to representing Ireland…
also Gloria is Gloria Kemesoude a nigerian sprinter who was based in australia training with the Michael Khmel squad post 2000 and was looking for Aust citizenship but from memory came into australia with her cousins media visa and once found out was eventfuly out the door…
now back in nigeria and ranked nigeria’s number 1 sprinter australia refused her entry into the country to compete at the games…
KK knows the full extent of what really went on im sure…
but gloria had a butt so hard you could crack an egg on it…and we miss that dearly
couldn’t give a shit if she broke world record, if she stayed an aussie i’d have no problems but after 1 race to then return to representing her place of birth is a joke on our system…
It is extremely surprising that any Irish person or Irish athlete would have any urge or will to run in much less have anything to do with the Commonwealth games which makes Sonia choice so unusual.
Freeman and Sonia have a long and very bitter personal history (see Nic Bideau) so it’s no surprise that Cathy would comment like she has.
Sonia is accepting dual nationality (she lives 80% of the time in Australia and has a famliy with 2 children living there she is not a ‘Paper Shelia’) - which by Austrailian law entitiles her to run for Australia - she is not declaring for Ireland on Monday, Australia on Tuesday and then Ireland Wedneaday.
Personally I do not agree or see the sense in her choice, but that’s my own opinion, after all it has nothing to do with me - it’s her choice.
‘Aussie’ O’Sullivan forced to withdraw
JO ATKINSON
IRISH middle-distance runner Sonia O’Sullivan, controversially cleared to run for Australia at the Commonwealth Games, has pulled out of Friday’s 5,000 metres because of injury.
Games organisers said in a statement that O’Sullivan had failed to recover from a hamstring injury suffered in training. O’Sullivan, 26, was born in the Republic of Ireland, which is not a Commonwealth member, but was selected to run for Australia, where she lives and trains about half the year.
Games officials said a week ago that O’Sullivan, who ran for Ireland at four Olympics, could run in Melbourne despite deciding to close a loophole in eligibility rules allowing her to compete.
O’Sullivan was granted Australian citizenship about two months ago and ran in the Australian trials in February.
Under international regulations, athletes normally have to sit out international competition for three years before they can compete for another country.
That clause has not previously applied but the Commonwealth Games Federation general assembly voted last Sunday to close the loophole. Athletes with dual citizenship must now follow international regulations.
The federation said it would be unfair to apply it in O’Sullivan’s case because team selections had already been made, even though Commonwealth officials said it made a “mockery” of the competition.
O’Sullivan said she also wanted to compete for Ireland at this year’s European championships
