The exposure of Irish Olympic athlete Cathal Lombard for using performance-enhancing drugs will act as a major deterrent to others, the Athletics Association of Ireland (AAI) has said.
The 28-year-old middle distance runner has admitted he took the banned substance EPO, after testing positive in an out-of-competition test.
Irish Olympic athlete Mr Cathal Lombard
AAI spokesman Mr Pierce O'Callaghan said: "A result like this, so close to the Olympics, is one step back for athletics in Ireland but hopefully it's also two or three steps forward. It will act as a big deterrent because EPO is supposed to be undetectable."
The AAI is awaiting a written response from Lombard, which must be provided before 5pm tomorrow. He faces a three-year ban from the sport.
Mr O'Callaghan said the detection of EPO was a victory for the Irish Sports Council's anti-doping programme.
"It shows the system is working to an extent. Obviously we're very proud of the anti-doping unit and the work they're doing. The noose is closing around the necks of those athletes who are trying to cheat."
He added that the test result did not reflect on the other members of the Irish athletic team.
"There's always going to be bad eggs in society, people who deal with drugs, drink-drivers, and sports reflects that as a microcosm. It would be very disingenuous to say it (drug-taking) is rampant. I don't believe that at all."
The Cork athlete failed a doping test and admitted using the banned substance EPO in a newspaper interview today.
AAI spokesman Mr Pierce O'Callaghan
Lombard was informed on Saturday that a recent out-of-competition doping test had revealed traces of the substance erythropoietin (EPO), one of the more widely abused drugs in endurance sports.
"I didn't set out to try and win medals or to make money. I just wanted to be as competitive as I could and have an equal chance with everyone else," he told the Irish Examinertoday.
"I am not trying to justify what I did in any way; I am just saying this was the case, this is what I did and, hands up, I did it."
He added that it is unlikely he will contest the test findings.
Lombard's agent Ray Flynn said the athelete had confirmed the failed test in an email. "I did receive an email from him advising me that he had been informed that he had a positive test for EPO and...he would be coming clean on it," Mr Flynn told RTÉ radio this morning.
Lombard is due to travel home from Italy later today, where he had been completing his preparations for the Athens Olympics. As a result of the positive test, however, he is now certain to be pulled from the Irish team and the 10,000 metres event, in which he was due to compete next Friday week.
Lombard has agreed to meet officials from Athletics Ireland tomorrow to answer formally the charge of his failed drugs test, which was carried out in Switzerland last month while the athlete was training at St Moritz.
Lombard set an Irish 10,000 metres record in California earlier this year and finished 17th in the 10,000 metres final at the 2003 world championships.
Last night Athletics Ireland media spokesman Mr Pierce O'Callaghan called for a public inquiry into the Lombard case to help clarify the exact nature of the problem of possible drug use in Irish sport.
"As a coach myself I think the public deserve to know what exactly went on in this particular case. I think we need to know who, where and what exactly was involved to make sure it doesn't happen again..."
EPO, or erythropoietin, is a naturally occurring hormone produced by the kidneys, which stimulates the production of red blood cells. In synthetic form, it is used to treat anaemia and is given to cancer sufferers who have anaemia caused by the disease or by chemotherapy. It is more widely known, however, for its use by athletes as a performance enhancer.
Additional reporting: PA