THERE WAS EIGHT failed drug tests by Irish athletes last year, according to the Irish Sports Council.
Four of those violations were for cannabis with as many from a substance found in supplements, the Council’s annual report states today.
Twelve teams missed tests — eight being GAA sides — while in individual sports there were ’18 filing failures and three missed tests’. Three of these would lead to a sanction for an athlete. The programme carried out 787 tests throughout 2012, across 31 sports.
“The results highlight clearly where the problems remain,” Professor Brendan Buckley, the anti-doping committee chairman said. “We see positive tests arising from the use of supplements which contain banned substances; this is something we have warned about repeatedly. Also, cannabinoids remain on the prohibited list and competitive athletes should avoid or risk sanctions.”
John Treacy, Irish Sports Council chief added: “We have worked very hard on improving the compliance with the ‘whereabouts system’. Progress has been made in some areas but there is still room for improvement. We are very pleased with the progress made in the blood testing programme. Overall we are working towards a more targeted intelligence-led approach to testing and there were important developments in this regard in 2012.”
World Anti-Doping Agency president, John Fahey and its director general, David Howman are in Dublin today to discuss the issue of anti-doping with the Council and to meet Irish media.
