The Irish Sailing Association (ISA) has completed talks with 20 of the 27 national sporting federations in an effort to radically transform the Olympic Council of Ireland and overcome what it sees as a lack of democracy in the council. The ISA are also calling for increased co-operation with State agencies in any restructuring of the OCI.
The president of the ISA, Paddy Maguire, has revealed plans for a new-look OCI. The association says it wants the same democratic changes within the OCI as have happened within its own ranks over the past three years.
The ISA position - set out in a letter to federations - has been underlined in the ISA editorial of this month's national boating magazine Afloat.
The ISA "are closely involved in moves to effect democracy within the Olympic Council of Ireland", Maguire says.
It is widely believed that Richard Burrows, a leading administrator in the ISA, will stand against the incumbent Pat Hickey for the presidency of the OCI next month.
However, Maguire says that the campaign spearheaded by his association has not been undertaken for "frivolous or personal reasons", but rather in the best interests of sailing.
Though the ISA are remaining tight-lipped about Burrows' possible candidacy for the OCI presidency, they also say that the calling of the OCI a.g.m. is a rare opportunity to bring about change at this level.
Three years ago the ISA responded to the Irish Sports Council initiative by developing a strategic plan for the sport.
ISA spokesman Paddy Boyd said yesterday: "It will be up to the council members to decide for themselves what any appropriate future structure should be."
As a result of its own review considerable changes were made to ISA structures, not least in the voting representation at general meetings. It also established a policy review group which guaranteed the members further representation which, claims the ISA, provides the proper stewardship of ISA affairs.
ISA annual elections with a three-year maximum term also ensure that there is a reasonable turnover in the leading officers of the association.
Whatever the outcome of the OCI a.g.m. Maguire maintains that sport will be the better for the exercise of democracy.
Elsewhere, not content with filling some top administrative roles in the world sailing body ISAF (as previously reported in this column), Irish officials are on the career ladder again.
The Royal Ocean Racing Club, the organisation that runs the Admiral's Cup, the Commodore's Cup and the IRM and IRC handicap systems, has elected two Irishmen to its committee and declared Dublin's John Bourke as its admiral.
Crosshaven's Donal McClement, the principal race officer for Ford Cork Week was elected to the committee at December's a.g.m. and Nick O'Donnell, who lives in the Britain is now the London club's rear-commodore.
In Dublin, Olympic coach James Hynes has been appointed as Sailing Development Officer at Howth. Hynes's objective is to increase sailing participation among the north Dublin club's 2,000 members as well as raising the standard of both junior and senior racing fleets.
