OCI vent ire over funding

"You hung us out to dry before." Barry Holohan, of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI), was pulling no punches with the former Minister for Sport, Bernard Allen, in yesterday's gloves-off meeting of the Joint Committee for Tourism and Sport at Government Buildings.

In a heated exchange, the OCI claimed they have been unable to conduct any drug testing on potential Olympic athletes because of a lack of government funding. Allen was a significant figure in removing funding of around £1 million when he was in office. The OCI argued they could not carry out tests because the current Minister, Dr McDaid, had not provided funding, as he was introducing his scheme early next year.

The OCI medical officer, Joe Commiskey, said this situation was "worrisome" given the evolution of substance abuse in sport. Dr Commiskey pointed out that, in the lead-in to the Barcelona Games in 1992, an athlete who used anabolic steroids could be caught three weeks after usage. Now they must be tested within three to six hours to be caught.

Dr Commiskey also highlighted the frightening naivete of young athletes towards banned substances. Having surveyed 55 athletes under 16 who had been selected for an international trip to Lisbon, he discovered that one was using a banned agent, seven were using agents which were permitted only after notifying the team doctor and 24 were using substances which were not immediately recognised. In all, 10 per cent of the teenagers were using agents that would have come up positive had they been tested.

Dr Commiskey also said it is now accepted that 50 per cent of Olympic athletes were taking substances, legal and illegal, although he believed that the figure is probably closer to 90 per cent.