ATHLETICS: Athletics Ireland has received official notification from Sonia O'Sullivan that she will not be available for the coming World Indoor Championships in Birminghan, and instead she will concentrate on the World Cross Country in Lausanne later in March - where she will target the short course event.

The selection policy for the cross country championships has also been announced. The first two senior men and women in the National Inter-club championships in Wicklow on March 2nd will gain automatic selection for the short course teams.The first two across the line at the Rás na hÉireann International on March 16th will also gain automatic selection for the short course event, thus leaving two further positions to be decided by the selectors. O'Sullivan has already been pre-selected for one of the places.

The winners of the National junior men's and women's Inter-clubs will also be automatically selected for Lausanne.