Hurling, football finalists face test

Drug testing will take place in Gaelic games between now and the completion of the football and hurling championships. No testing has yet been carried out in the sports. Yesterday the Irish Sports Council said that an agreement is in place with Croke Park to undertake tests at the semi-final or final stages of the competition. The Sports Council also said that no political pressure had been placed on them as to the place or time of testing.

"We have agreed with the GAA to test sometime between now and the end of the championship," said Dr Una May, the head of the Sports Council's drug testing unit.

"The commencement of testing is by agreement with governing bodies and the GAA are happy about this. All of these things are done in agreement. We don't dictate to governing bodies but carry out a service.

"Also, there is nothing unusual about not carrying out testing as soon as sports sign up to the programme. We've 50 sports signed up to the programme, but I'd say we've only tested in the region of 30 of them.

"As far as I'm concerned we've still got until the end of September to test. There has been no political pressure. I have had no requests to carry out or postpone tests," she said.

It has taken the GAA almost two years to sign up for drug testing, the delay based on the reasonable assumption that those involved would need to be educated in the process.

Last week Kilkenny hurling team doctor Bill Cuddihy, citing confusion among players and medical staff, accused the GAA of taking a "Mickey Mouse amateur attitude", and called for a medical commissioner to be appointed before any testing of hurlers or Gaelic footballers took place.

"The GAA have not asked us to delay testing," said Dr May. "They signed up on the basis they were ready and we presumed they'd done everything. If they (the GAA) asked for a further delay we would have to consider it if there was justification.

"We'd look at that type of request on a case by case basis but they have not asked. It is not our policy to put any athletes at risk, in fact it is the opposite of that."

Drug testing in Irish sport commenced in November 1999, with the GAA signing up to the programme on July 20th of this year.