Spending on sport ‘right medicine’
The junior sport minister said the meaning of his comments was “very clear” and that he had made the point “a hundred times before”.
Mr Ring made the comments at a press conference in Dublin Airport to welcome home the record-equalling Irish Olympic team.
He said he wanted to thank the team — whom he labelled heroes — because their performance would boost his case when pushing the Government for increased funding for sport.
“Any government minister, whether he’s in finance or any other department, cannot but give me more money now after the success we’ve had with this team.
“Money spent on sport — it’s better than putting it into hospitals, into consultants, into doctors — and the more that we can get people participating in sport, the better.”
The comments provoked immediate criticism on social media websites from people who had been watching the televised press conference.
One Twitter user accused Mr Ring of speaking “tosh”, another of engaging in “populism at its most crass”, and a third of “playing off sport against health”.
However, speaking to the Irish Examiner, Mr Ring said he was “upset” that people were interpreting his comments in such ways.
Investment in sport would “keep people fitter” and mean “less hospitals, less consultants, less doctors”, he said.
“That speech is very clear… I’ve said it a hundred times before. I’ve always made the point that participation in sport is very important. We need to get people fitter.
“Money spent on sport now is an investment for the future. If you have people healthier, you have less people sick. Money spent on sport is money that you can get a return on.”
