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‘Health and safety’ concerns force sudden closure of Sonia O’Sullivan Mardyke Track

‘A rapid and significant deterioration’ of the surface leaves the entire county without a running track

Joanne Cuddihy of Ireland on her way to winning the women's 400m at the Cork City Sports at The Mardyke in 2007. Photograph: Neil Danton/Inpho
Joanne Cuddihy of Ireland on her way to winning the women's 400m at the Cork City Sports at The Mardyke in 2007. Photograph: Neil Danton/Inpho
Ian O'Riordan
Mon Mar 11 2024 - 17:45

Cork has been left without a running track to serve the entire county after the unexpected closure of the Sonia O’Sullivan Mardyke Track at UCC on Monday morning due to “health and safety” concerns.

In an email statement from UCC issued to Cork athletics clubs, the reasons for the immediate closure were outlined, following an urgent inspection from the Building and Estates team highlighted “a rapid and significant deterioration” of the track surface in recent weeks.

With Cork’s only other running track at the Munster Technological University (MTU) at Bishopstown also out of commission for the past year while track resurfacing works are completed there, there are already fears that several juvenile and other club championships events in the coming months will have to be staged outside the county.

The MTU track has been partially relaid and is expected to be completed before the summer, weather permitting, as it’s also due to host the 70th edition of the Cork City Sports on July 9th, after that event was cancelled last year.

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The Mardyke Track, renamed in Sonia O’Sullivan’s honour in 2013 following the last major redevelopment work there, now looks set to be closed for the immediate future while a decision on how to best repair it is carried out.

Part of the UCC statement read: “Following an urgent inspection this morning with our Building and Estates team and outside experts and professional advisers and track repair companies I have had to take the decision to close the UCC Athletics track for health and safety and reasons, with immediate effect.

“We have been keeping the track under close operational review with ongoing repairs over the past year years. However there has been a rapid and significant deterioration in the last three-four weeks. There are now over 15 full rips down to the underlying surface and perhaps up to 20 per cent of the track with large bubbles on it – which will lead to further tears.

“We were advised by Sports Lab to cut away all rips and bubbles but on looking further at this we all agreed that the scale of cutting would be too high to sustain our operations safely.

“We cannot allow students/staff and external users continue to use the tack in such conditions. The underlying surface is very wet and slippery and cannot be repaired at this time. The scale of the repairs is such that the full track will probably need replacing in the right weather conditions.”

Accepting this decision was made “very reluctantly” and knowing that “this is the only track available in Cork and the wider region” UCC have also informed Athletics Ireland of the situation.

Cork currently has around 8,600 registered athletes in 58 clubs, and plans had been in place to hold the juvenile championships at the Mardyke over three Sundays in May, with field events staged elsewhere. Castleisland, in Kerry, may become an alternative venue for these championships.

In the meantime Bandon AC is developing a new running track as part of a major club redevelopment. That project is at least one year away from completion.

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan

Ian O'Riordan is an Irish Times sports journalist writing on athletics