Cheats on back foot, say testers

Drugs in sport ISC anti-doping report The Irish Sports Council (ISC) anti-doping report has confirmed no Irish sportsperson …

Drugs in sport ISC anti-doping reportThe Irish Sports Council (ISC) anti-doping report has confirmed no Irish sportsperson tested positive for a banned substance in 2005.

Although Sports Council CEO John Treacy and Minister for Sport John O'Donoghue painted the news in a positive light yesterday, questions remain.

Are the cheats running scared? Or do the two positive tests in Irish sport - both for "social" drugs - signify they have become more sophisticated?

The guilty parties, a rugby and a squash player, though exposed on Irish soil, were non-nationals and tested positive for "cannabinoids". Although marijuana is an enhancing agent in sports like downhill skiing, it is universally considered a social drug.

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Ulster rugby player Rowan Frost received a two-month suspension, but squash player Stephane Galifi, a repeat offender, was handed the maximum two-year ban after testing positive at the Irish Open on April 14th. Frost is a New Zealander. Galifi is from France.

"It's worth bearing in mind that it's been a year since we had very high-profile doping cases," said anti-doping programme manager Dr Una May. "The awareness is very high, and also in a post-Olympic year you are potentially not likely to uncover too much."

The statistics are open to interpretation: 962 tests, 147 of which were paid for by national federations, is an increase of 44 on last year. Total expenditure came in marginally lower than 2004 at €1.195 million.

The report puts the national percentage of positive discoveries at 0.2 per cent. According to World Anti-Doping Agency figures from 2005, worldwide out-of-competition testing alone produces a positive ratio of two per cent.

Either the ISC, who employ four full-time anti-doping staff, are dealing with flawed intelligence or, as the report says, we are seeing the "deterrent effect of a credible and visible anti-doping programme".

Two positives is a notable drop on last year's seven - five of them for social drugs - from 918 tests. In 2003, there were six positives. The reduction is dramatic given the increased number of tests. In 2000, fewer than 400 tests turned up 12 positives.

"We are happy that it is a good sign," said May. "Our programme by far and away, alongside New Zealand, is massively ahead for the amount of tests we do. We're doing approximately 1,000 tests for a population of four million. The British are doing 6,500 for a population of 65 million."

Out-of-competition tests accounted for 59 per cent of the programme, and 38 sports were tested.

Rugby was tested 56 times, 12 more than men's Gaelic games and soccer.

There has been no consistent targeting of individuals in team sports outside the training ground and post-match environment.

The anti-doping programme intends to hire a fifth staff member in the coming months to deal primarily with the education.

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey

Gavin Cummiskey is The Irish Times' Soccer Correspondent