Rancour at the top

Michael Heery says he has "no regrets" about putting his name forward for the position of president of the Athletes Association of Ireland (AAI) after he lost to out-going candidate Liam Hennessy at a contentious AAI Congress at Sligo at the weekend. The St Brigid's AC official had served three two-year terms as president of AAI from 2002 to 2008. He announced before his last term in 2006 that he would be stepping down when his term of office was up. However, because of a long-running and controversial dispute over the dismissal of the association's ex-CEO Mary Coghlan he felt compelled to put his name forward again this year. Heery attracted considerable support eventually losing out by 93 votes to 157. "I had said when I left the position of president in 2008 that I would be no longer be involved at national level," he told the Meath Chronicle on Monday. "However, because of the number of people who approached me and said they were not happy about the manner of Mary Coghlan's dismissal, it convinced me that I should stand for the position again. "I don't regret going forward. I feel that because of the way the Board behaved, somebody had to go forward. I'm not disappointed I went forward, I got reasonably good support." Last summer Coghlan was dismissed as chief executive of the AAI after a protracted legal battle that went to the High Court. In the subsequent settlement she received €125,000 plus costs on top of a €30,000 termination payment. The St Brigid's clubman said that in his view Coghlan had done "an absolutely brilliant" job as chairperson of the AAI's Finance & Risk Committee before she went forward for the position of chief executive. Heery says that he also felt Coghlan had performed well as AAI chief executive and no reason was given as to why she was removed. "I felt that she was very honest, very hard working and very professional in what she did on the committee, she did wonderful work and it was disappointing to see her dismissed, especially in the manner she was," he added. At the AAI Congress Heery had called for unification among the athletics fraternity. "If anyone in the association is still harbouring a personal agenda for God's sake, give it up," he said. At one stage during the meeting, Meath Co Board chairman Brendan Meade questioned Hennessy's suitability to chair the Congress. When contacted by the Meath Chronicle on Monday, the Meath Co Board chairman did not wish to make any comment.