Running battle at cross-country

Sonia O'Sullivan is the home favourite in Dublin

BBC Sport's John Haughey joins in with the preparations for the World Cross Country Championships in Dublin and finds that the row over athletes' visas rumbles on.

The press conference didn't get off to the most auspicious of starts.

Initially, it looked at though the advertising hoarding behind him might have to rest on the back of IAAF president Lamine Diack - hardly the most appropriate image.

Eventually the hoarding was removed - but even if it had rested on Diack, it would not have been the most uncomfortable aspect of the afternoon for him.

After the nervous beginning, composure appeared to set in with all the right noises appearing to be made by the podium dwellers.

Mr Diack spoke of his delight that the event was being staged in Dublin this year after last March's foot-and-mouth induced false start.

To Irish officials' obvious discomfort, Mr Diack did indeed have an observation or two to make.

Athletics Ireland president Nick Davis talked of the great Irish welcome that athletes and officials would receive over the weekend.

But just as the ceremonial part of the afternoon seemed to be ambling along merrily, an Ethiopian voice piped up from the back of the room.

"Does president Diack have anything to say about the difficulties our athletes had in getting visas to come here?" said Ethiopian team manager Dr Woldemeskal Kostre.

To Irish officials' obvious discomfort, Dr Diack did indeed have an observation or two to make.

This included the revelation that the president himself had endured a delay before being furnished with his visa.

Kenya's Charles Kimathi casts his eye over proceedings

Not what the hosts needed to hear at that precise moment.

Davis did his best to play down the story but on a slow news day, journalists weren't going to ignore something seemingly tinged with potential controversy.

Dr Kostre was quickly surrounding by the hungry hacks and seeing the danger, some host officials decided on the counter-measure of doing a little off-the-record media briefing of their own which included references to the reluctance of some nations to fork out the nominal sums required to obtain visas.

Sonia's hope

Next up to face the media was local heroine Sonia O'Sullivan - or just plain Sonia to the locals. The Cobh superstar, positively beaming, bounced into the room kitted in her Irish rugby jersey.

Two-and-a-half year old Ciara accompanied mummy into the room, although there was no sign of the latest arrival, eleven-week old Sophie.

Typically, the Irish runner sent out conflicting signals about her prospects for Sunday¿s short course event over 4K.

"I'm not going to set any limits as to what I might do on Sunday but I'm not expecting too much either," she said.

Yet a minute later, she was saying: "I'm sure I'll run very well. I ran in the Irish trials two weeks ago and won and I know I¿ve come on a lot since then."

Irish people have been saying outwardly all week that they don't expect the supermum to be in serious contention on Sunday yet inwardly, they will turn up in the thousands believing that she can achieve the seemingly impossible.

That sums up the faith this country has in Sonia.

Coverage on Sunday Grandstand BBC2 (1330-1445)