Irish dancing competition judges to follow strict rules after cheating and fixing allegations

The new rules come as the All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championship is to due kick off this Sunday at the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney. Picture: RollingNews.ie

Strict new rules have been announced for the All-Ireland Irish Dancing Championship following a string of scandals around the judging of competitions. 

Judges will be required to restrict who they socialise with, have meals separately from dance instructors, and leave phones in hotel rooms as part of updated procedures.

The new rules will “ensure fair competition and effective adjudication”, according to An Comisiún Le Rincí Galeacha (CLRG), which said they would be rigidly enforced throughout the championship.

The Irish dancing world was engulfed in controversy last year when it emerged that CLRG received allegations of several “grievous breaches” of its code of conduct, including cheating and competition fixing.

It was alleged dance teachers asked others to fix competitions, with then-tánaiste Leo Varadkar describing the situation as “very worrying”.

The new rules announced by CLRG come as the competition is to due kick off this Sunday at the Gleneagle INEC Arena in Killarney.

More than 2,000 dancers from Ireland and around the world will take part, from under 10 through to senior level.

Seven new rules have been listed by the CLRG in a statement, including that competitor number cards will not be distributed in advance nor be published in the programme book.

Just prior to a competition beginning, updated competitor lists, including dancer numbers, will be released on a specific mobile phone app. By this time, the adjudicators will be in a panel room without electronics and no access to the lists.

Adjudicators will not be allowed to bring any notes or paperwork with them to the judging table, with all official adjudication and notation documents delivered to them in a sealed envelope once seated.

Furthermore, adjudicators will not be permitted to carry phones, bags, purses, or smartwatches to the adjudication table. Phones, laptops, and tablets must be left in their hotel room and judges will not be allowed to go back to their hotel room until judging for the day and sign-offs are complete.

The rules also have a political dimension, with an officer from the Oireachtas Ethics Committee, who will be responsible for the collection of adjudication sheets and notes for each judging panel. All paperwork will then be placed in a sealed envelope for delivery to be tabulated.

Lastly, it said adjudicators will be asked to socialise and take meals as a group separate from other members, teachers, and dancers.

A CLRG spokesperson said: “The dedication of the dancers that will be competing is second to none and I’d like to take this opportunity to wish all of our competitors the very best of luck.”