OUT OF 1,114 tests for banned substances carried out last year by the Irish Sports Council’s Anti-Doping Programme, on behalf of 42 sports organisations, there were, it was confirmed yesterday, just four “adverse” findings.
The best known of the cases involved Kerry footballer Aidan O’Mahony who was found to have “adverse levels” of Salbutamol in his system on the day of the All-Ireland final against Tyrone. It was later ruled that the player had only used the product for medical purposes, as treatment for his asthma.
Terenure rugby player Mark Mahony was, said chairperson of the Anti-Doping Committee Professor Brendan Buckley, “reprimanded and warned but not suspended” after he was found to have Terbutaline, commonly found in asthma medicine, in his system. Mahony had previously been granted a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) but had failed to renew it.
Kickboxing world champion Julie McHale was given a three-month suspension for refusing to take a test, the disciplinary panel resisting handing out the maximum suspension of two years because they accepted the Bray woman did not understand the seriousness of such a refusal.
The fourth “adverse” finding was in the results of a test carried out on a “minor in rowing”, said Prof Buckley, with traces of cannabis detected in his urine. The teenager, who cannot be named, was given a reprimand and a three-week suspension.
The Irish Sports Council also launched its official policy on the use of nutritional supplements in sport yesterday. In a survey carried out by the body it was found 50 per cent of Irish athletes take sports or health supplements.
“It is a complex issue,” said Prof Buckley, “we recognise supplements are taken, but reserve the right to advise against their use. There are risks associated with them and athletes should seek expert advice in the area of nutrition”.
“There is a very high level of contamination with banned substances – they come from God knows where, their sources are untraceable, they’re not subject to any quality process, there is very little regulation so any one who takes them does so at their peril.”
“We are particularly concerned about teenage boys taking supplements and engaging in high-level contact sports because sports doctors will confirm it is inappropriate to build up weight before the skeleton has matured. My colleagues are seeing significant injuries in young teenage athletes, even down to 15, 14 years of age, due to over-bulking with these substances.”
Prof Buckley, though, conceded a ban on the use of these supplements was unlikely. “It is difficult to ban them systematically because they contain milk protein as their dominant component so because they’re made largely of whey, with all sorts of other additives, none of which is on the banned list, it’s legally very difficult to enforce a ban on them.”
“I think one has to try and alter culture, particularly in schools, to make them unacceptable. Unfortunately at the moment there’s an arms race in schools sports, particularly in schools that focus very heavily on the sporting achievements of their senior and junior teams – this isn’t just in rugby, it’s in other codes as well.”
John Treacy, meanwhile, stressed the Irish Sports Council’s commitment to its new anti-doping rules, formally introduced this year in order to remain compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency code. “The new rules usher in a new era for anti-doping. Ten years on we recognise that we must continue to invest and innovate if we are to fight doping in sport and remain at the forefront of international efforts against drugs in sport,” he said.
“The ultimate aim of the Irish Sport anti-doping programme,” said Martin Cullen, Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, “is to ensure there is no abuse of drugs in sport in Ireland. It is essential in sustaining the ethical reputation of Irish sport . . . and an essential foundation for investment in elite sport. The Irish Sports Council’s anti-doping programme is recognised internationally as an outstanding model of its type.”
