The New National Indoor Arena will officially open to a fanfare in January but Athlone Institute of Technology is not letting go of its mantle as the home for indoor athletics in Ireland.
The 2017 AIT International Grand Prix will take place on February 17th and is guaranteed to be a sell out for the fourth year in a row.
The event is aiming to break into the Top 10 ranked indoor meets in the world this year after coming 14th in a field of 600 in 2016. That would be an impressive performance for a meet at which record setting and star power have always been front of mind.
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Definitely confirmed for 2017 are Olympic and World Gold Medallist 100 Metre Hurdler Sally Pearson from Australia and Mutaz Essa Barshim, Qatari high jump medallist in both the London and Rio Olympic Games.
Two of Ireland’s biggest talents in the shape of Ciara Mageean and Mark English are also on the start list. English is currently preparing for an attempt at the world 600m record at the Grand Prix and hopes are high that another high calibre athlete will be added to make an attempt at one other world record.
“We have a really top field of athletes lined up again for the grand prix in February,” said AIT President and former Athletics Ireland President Professor Ciarán Ó Catháin.
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“The fields will be filled with an even deeper level of talent than we have ever had before and that is saying quite something.”
“We are very excited about the event as are many Athletics fans in Ireland. Ticket prices are very competitive again this year. There are not many events in the world where you will witness such top class sportspeople at such prices”.
Assistant Meet Director Gordon Brett believes that, “the event can break into the top 10 indoor athletics meets in the world this year. We achieved an amazing ranking of 14th in the world in 2016 from a list of 600 similar events”.
Join us for a morning of learning, networking and insight on the sporting year ahead and the sponsorship trends that will impact upon us on January 20th. Reserve your place now.
