Kelly resigns for health reasons

Tony Kelly, director general of the Show Jumping Association of Ireland (SJAI) for almost eight years, resigned his post yesterday, citing health problems as the reason behind his decision.

Kelly, who briefly held the national chair in 1992 before taking over as director general, has had ongoing problems with his health and was on sick leave from the SJAI's Dublin headquarters for three months in 1998.

He returned to the office in July, but then resigned on the eve of the Dublin Horse Show the following month, stating that he had been put in an untenable position by the fall-out from allegations of an accumulated loss of £200,000 in the SJAI's 1997 accounts.

There was overwhelming support for Kelly's return at the association's a.g.m. in September 1998 and he was officially brought back into the fold in November, a week after the resignation of then national chairman Bernie Brennan and half of the 20-strong executive committee.

The SJAI seemed to have weathered the worst of the storm with the appointment of a finance and management committee in January of last year. The news in October that an £86,000 profit had been recorded meant that Irish Sports Council funding, which had been withheld during the crisis, was finally restored.

But the release in early December of a damning five-page document by the finance committee which claimed "serious and continuing irregularities" within the SJAI renewed the controversy. A series of financial discrepancies have now been ironed out, but although a clean set of accounts is expected to be presented at the a.g.m. details of a breach of the Employment Act was reported by SJAI accountant Mairead Divilly 10 days ago.

An unnamed former association director, who had been brought in to work at the Ballsbridge offices last July, was immediately suspended and Tony Kelly asked to stand down while the matter was under investigation. The results of the inquiry are due to be released tomorrow, but the pressure has taken its toll on Kelly's health.

"My health has deteriorated due to the situation that has prevailed and I am unable to carry on," he said yesterday.