Delays mean All-Ireland series dope tests unlikely

Legal and medical representatives of the Gaelic Athletic Association and the Irish Sports Council will meet today to clarify any remaining issues surrounding the implementation of Croke Park's anti-doping code. The association have continued to maintain a cautious approach to the matter and testing for banned substances is now unlikely to feature in this summer's championship.

It has been almost six months since the association adopted their anti-doping code at a special congress in Dublin but according to Pat Daly, their anti-doping officer, a number of hurdles have yet to be overcome before the education programme can be implemented. "We are committed to getting the anti-doping programme up and running as soon as we can," said Daly. "But the last thing we want is to put together a piecemeal education and find ourselves facing problems down the line. The matter is still a minefield for potential legal and medical problems, but assuming we can clear the existing hurdles then it is possible we can complete the education programme in four to six weeks."

After today's two meetings, the association will sit down with the UK Sports Council on April 4th to clarify the situation within the six counties. Part of the education process includes the appointment of a liaison officer in each county, and only then will the testing begin.

Dr Una May, executive of the Irish Sports Council's anti-doping unit, said yesterday a more exact estimate of when testing may be introduced would become clearer after the discussions between the two legal and medical teams.

"The priority will be to get the education phase up and running," she said. "And that plan includes education for administrators, coaches and anti-doping officers. "It's a case of putting them in place before the testing programme is introduced."

According to Pat Daly, among the concerns still complicating the matter is the problem of food supplements and the issue of full screening as opposed to half screening, with the former leading to the possibility of players testing positive for recreational drug use, which is also a criminal offence.

"At the moment, there is more regulation in what is fed to animals compared to the regulation of food supplements. That is a huge problem area and recent tests have shown that a lot of these substances are contaminated with illegal products such as nandrolone," he said.

He has also been putting pressure on the Irish Sports Council to establish a drug information telephone line, similar to that which exists under the services offered by the UK Sports Council and is thus available for players in the six counties.

"The telephone service can be very useful for players who need immediate information on things like prescription medicine, instead of dealing with an International Olympic Committee code which you need to be a pharmacist to understand," said Daly.

"I know the Sports Council are looking into this matter but we have to be sure this type of service is available across the board, and not just for players in the six counties."

Meanwhile, the Munster Vocational Schools committee will investigate the on-pitch fracas which marred the conclusion of Monday's Munster Vocational Schools senior football final in Killarney between Causeway and Beara Community Schools.

A winning goal for Causeway late in injury time sparked an outbreak of punches involving players and spectators. Referee Seamus McSweeney of Tipperary took no disciplinary action at the time but according to a spokesperson for the Munster Vocational Schools committee, a full investigation will be held following receipt of the referee's report.

After coming through the Leinster colleges football semifinal against Marist, Athlone on Monday, All-Ireland title holders St Patrick's, Navan will now meet St Mel's, Longford in the Leinster decider, which has been set for Mullingar this Sunday (3.30). The Munster Vocational Schools inter-county football final between Cork and Kerry takes place in Dunmanway on Saturday (2.30).

Finally, the ladies' association have also announced that competitions will resume on the weekend after next pending no cases of foot-and-mouth disease. The sixth round of the National League will take place as scheduled on Sunday, April 1st, while rounds four and five have been refixed for April 15th and April 29th, respectively. As expected, London will play no further part in Division Two.