Drug Testing and Irish Sport

By John Considine

During the last week there has been a relatively lively debate on the issue of drug testing in Irish sport.  One strand arises from the news that a GAA player has failed a drug test (here).  Many sports view drug testing as a necessary evil.  In an Irish context, some sports see it as a sort of compulsory purchase order.  In exchange for funding from the Irish Sports Council, sports sign up for something they may not want to do by themselves.  It can cause plenty of resentment amongst GAA players who do not get paid to play.  It might be an idea for the sports organisations to take a different perspective on the issue and work with the Irish Sports Council to get a drug testing regime that would benefit all parties.

To shift the perspective a little, it is worth considering one element of the drugs testing options offered by the Irish Sports Council.  The ISC 2013 Annual Report provides the following table of data where "10 organisations requested testing under the User Pays Programme".  By requesting testing, that they will pay for, these organisations signal a willing to pay for drug testing.  It seems fair to suggest that this reflects well on the organisations and sports involved - particularly Athletics and Rugby.

When an organisation is paying for the testing it probably feels in a better position to dictate the type of testing it wants.  When the ISC is funding organisation then the ISC probably feels in a better position to set the terms of the discussion.  However, in both situations there is a trade involved.  If all the sports organisations adopted this mindset then they could probably get a programme that better suited their needs.  They might also consider paying for extra tests just like rugby.

(Details on the 2012 Anti-Doping ISC Statistics were posted here previously.)