Sports Council defends drug-testing procedures

The drug testing procedures of Irish Sports Council (ISC) that have come under heavy criticism after a Kerry footballer was detained until after midnight this week in order to produce a sample have been stoutly defended by the council.

Dr Una May, director of the ISC's anti-doping unit, said, "Managers can opt to have their players tested before training starts, we have put that in writing in our agreement with the GAA last spring."

From Independent.ie:

May said she did not know if the Kerry management had been given this opportunity, because the tester was abroad and uncontactable yesterday.

"But we will certainly remind our testers to be proactive on this issue," she added.

It took the player over three hours to produce a sample when he was randomly selected for testing after training in Tralee on Tuesday night.

Being detained until after midnight once again raised the thorny issue of GAA players, who are amateur, being subjected to the same stringent anti-doping policy as professional athletes.

May said delays in giving urine samples are inevitable.

"It is a matter of letting nature take its course. Delays are regrettable, but inevitable sometimes," she said.

May remarked, "Testing traditionally takes place at the end of training sessions in order to avoid disrupting athletes, but there is no reason why such tests can't take place before they start training, or during it. Managers can decide the timing of it."