Sonia O'Sullivan will return from Australia to compete in the Visit Scotland Great Edinburgh Cross Country on January 14.
The former Olympic 5,000 metres silver medalist, who hopes to gain Australian citizenship and compete at the Commonwealth Games next March, will run in the colours of Ireland at the Scottish meeting.
But the 36-year-old is adamant after all of the hospitality and friendship she has been shown since making a winter home a decade ago in Melbourne, she wants to run at the Games for Australia.
The Cobh native revealed: "Folks here kept asking me if I would compete for them and now all of the paperwork has been submitted, it is a case of awaiting a decision from the authorities."
O'Sullivan for several years has been the partner of partner Nic Bideau, who also acts as her manager, and they have two young daughters - already owners of Australian and Irish passports.
That decision has seen Ireland's greatest-ever sportswoman commence serious preparations for the Games and cross country racing remains an important part of her training schedule.
O'Sullivan fully realises the strength value she will obtain from the discipline which saw her seven years ago become the first woman to win both the IAAF World Cross Country long and short course gold medals.
"I'm really delighted Sonia's coming home for the competition where she will be a top attraction," said Matthew Turnbull, the elite athletes director for the Edinburgh meeting.
He added: "With competing in the Commonwealth Games a serious and a genuine possibility, she's been hammering the training Down Under with Craig Mottram and Benita Johnson."
Mottram, upsetting African domination at global championships, was third in last summer's World 10,000 metres final while Johnson won the 2004 IAAF World Cross Country long course title.
In Edinburgh, O'Sullivan will face other top European athletes Aniko Kalovics of Hungary and Poland's Justyna Bak with several other top names – including world class African stars - currently making up their minds whether to compete in Holyrood Park.
