But in this realm medals are the only currency that make people sit up. Since its creation in 1966 — it was known as the European Indoor Games until 1970 — there have been 16 Irish medallists (eight men, eight women) and there’s every reason to believe more will be joining that list this weekend.

Mark English, of course, is already on there, the Donegal man winning 800m silver in 2015, and he looks capable of bagging his first international medal in four years in Sunday night’s 800m final. To do so he will have to navigate a safe passage through tonight’s heat and tomorrow night’s semi, which should be doable.

Only four men in the field have gone quicker than the 1:46.92 he ran this season, and the manner of that victory suggested there was lots more to come.

Ciara Mageean, like English, is a European outdoor medallist, and the UCD graduate would dearly love to add her name to the Irish roll of honour indoors. Laura Muir of Britain should prove unbeatable in the women’s 1500m final on Sunday night, but Mageean is one of five athletes who should be in the shake-up for the minor medals if navigating tonight’s heat, where only the top two will automatically advance.

Phil Healy will undoubtedly line up with a medal chance if she can survive two races today and earn a spot in tomorrow’s 400m final — easier said than done — while Thomas Barr will be up against it in this morning’s 400m heats. He drew the inside lane in the fourth and final heat in which he is the slowest of five athletes this season, but if the 26-year-old can reproduce his season best 47.05 it may be enough to advance.

National champion Cillin Greene will be on the track minutes before in heat three, the 20-year-old bidding to secure one of the top two automatic qualification spots.