COLIN GRIFFIN MAY be one of only three Irish athletes to have so far qualified for this year’s IAAF World Championships, but the race walker believes he will find it impossible to prepare properly after being omitted from the Irish Sports Council (ISC) grants scheme for 2013.
Some were shocked that the Leitrim athlete’s name wasn’t among the 86-strong list, which included Olympic heroes such as Katie Taylor, Rob Heffernan and Fionnuala Britton, when Minister Michael Ring and ISC chief executive John Treacy announced the €1.7 million funding package earlier this month.
It didn’t come as much of a surprise to the man himself however, as he has endured an ongoing battle with Athletics Ireland since last December.
Despite achieving the ‘A’ Standard by finishing 15th at the World Race Walking Cup in Russia back in May and meeting the criteria to earn the International Class grant of €12k for the coming year, Athletics Ireland denied Griffin permission to submit his application to the ISC and refused him the chance to appeal to an independent panel.
“It’s unprecedented because in the past if you met the criteria your application always went to the ISC and if they rejected it you would have the chance to appeal and have your case heard before the final decision was made,” Griffin told TheScore.ie.
Had the Sports Council received it, rejected it and I was given the chance to appeal then fair enough I would have accepted that. But it’s the way it was done and the fact that I had to fight this case internally within Athletics Ireland (that I’m disappointed with).”
On top of a restructuring plan which will see the various National Governing Bodies distributing the grants in the future, this year has witnessed a 20 per cent fall in the total sum allocated to the athletes’ Card Scheme.
For Griffin, the problem isn’t the lack of finances but how they are spread around.
“There’s no shortage of money there. There’s extra staff being appointed and there are so many officials who get generous expenses. I just don’t think it has been channelled through in the right way.
“Training camps that were previously supported up until 2011 were vital, and it was no coincidence that when those training camps were supported in 2010, I was able to get sufficient technical support and feedback and I suffered no disqualification in competitions that year.
“Then you’ve officials going away to competitions who aren’t directly part of the management team. That’s a drain on resources which are supposed to be limited.”
Griffin, who competed in the 50km walk at both the Beijing and London Olympics, has criticised how the situation is being handled by Athletics Ireland and, in particular, High Performance director Kevin Ankrom. He adds that he has yet to hear from the organisation about the matter a week on from the announcement.
With just under five months until the World Championships, Griffin will carry on training just as hard as he always has but, without sufficient funding, knows he is unable to give himself the best chance to succeed in Moscow.
Normally, he trains at altitude twice a year including once in the lead-up to a competition of this importance. Athletics Ireland did recently offer him the small sum of €2k plus physio costs but as Griffin explains, it’s an expensive business they are in and that is simple not enough.
“The athletes in the category I feel I’m entitled to are being offered €12k plus additional support so there is no way I’m able to train at the level required with that amount.
“It (competing at the World Championships) would be very difficult at the moment as I’d have to support myself now it would mean putting more emphasis on my work.
“I never mix up my living expenses and my training expenses. It’s a case of priorities – I’m 31 as well this year. If I was ten years younger I might get away with it but not at this stage of my life.”
If neither Athletics Ireland nor the ISC are willing to reconsider their position, Griffin will have to decide whether or not he can commit to racing under the current circumstances.
“There’s only so much time I can devote to this and allow it to consume me,” he says. “I will have to make a decision whether I can compete internationally this season and prepare properly by trying to commit without the necessary funding to do that.
I wouldn’t want to go to the World Championships and risk a repeat of any previous disappointing results due to not being prepared. It’s a very disappointing situation and one that could have been avoided if the simple things were done properly.”
As well as competing at the London Games, Griffin coached Laura Reynolds to a top 20 finish in the 20km walk. Although he’ll be 34 by the time Rio comes around, he still harbors hopes of one final Olympic appearance.
“I’m taking things year by year but my career isn’t over yet. I still want to compete at a high level. The last four months have been consumed with fighting this case. All the uncertainty that has built up – no athlete should be immersed in a situation like that.
“It’s a case of taking a step back, regrouping and coming back next year in a better situation mentally and financially.”
