Hopes are rising that Special Olympics athletes from SARS-affected countries will be able to compete in next month's games in Dublin, following a meeting of health authorities yesterday.
It was agreed that Department of Health officials will discuss fresh proposals with the World Health Organisation aimed at allowing athletes in SARS-affected countries to compete in the Special Olympics.
The proposals, which include a quarantine of between 10 and 14 days for athletes in carefully monitored conditions, were put forward by the Chinese government and Special Olympics organisers.
If these measures are approved by the WHO, it is likely participants from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore and Toronto will be able to take part.
Under the existing guidelines used by the Department of Health expert group, the teams have been asked not to attend because they are on the WHO's official list of infected areas.
A spokesman for the Special Olympics, which has lobbied strongly for all athletes to take part, said he was hopeful that there would be a breakthrough.
"We are grateful for opportunity to make representations to the expert group.
"We're hopeful the decision on the matter will be a good one," he said.
Sources at yesterday's meeting said if the "validation" plans for quarantine areas for athletes met with the satisfaction of WHO officials, there was a good chance that athletes could take part in the games.
However, a Department of Health spokeswoman said no decision has been made and the expert group's opinion was still that that delegations from affected areas would be asked not to travel.
A representative of the Hong Kong government visiting Dublin yesterday said health authorities there had comprehensive proposals and medical checks to ensure their athletes did not pose any safety threat.
Mr Christopher Jackson, Hong Kong's special representative to the European Union, said a quarantine centre at a sports institute had already been set aside for the delegation. He said the health status of athletes would be monitored daily and that training would take place in assigned venues reserved for the team.
"We have a team which is keen to come. We're going to great lengths to reassure the people of Ireland that the team is healthy and does not pose any risk. We appeal to Ireland to allow the athletes to participate," Mr Jackson said.
The number of new cases of the SARS virus has dwindled in Asia, although Toronto suffered a setback earlier this week when it was added back on to the WHO's list of affected areas.
The Minister for Health, Mr Martin, earlier this week indicated that China and Taiwan might be the only two teams excluded from the games as cases in Hong Kong and Singapore had dropped dramatically.
The outbreak in Toronto is not considered to be serious by Canadian health authorities, and is also expected to be taken off the list of infected regions.
The teams are acutely aware that time is running out for a solution to the travel ban as the games begin on June 21st. Officials from the Special Olympics in Washington travelled to Dublin for yesterday's meeting of the SARS expert group.
Department of Health sources said they wanted to ensure that as many athletes as possible were able to participate as long as appropriate safety measures were in place.
Russia, meanwhile, yesterday confirmed that a 25-year-old man, who lives in a town which borders China, has become the country's first case of SARS.
However, the case does not mean the country has been added to the WHO's list of infected regions and does not threaten the country's participation in the Special Olympics. Russian officials said they planned to close more border points with China from next month as a result of the case.
