Cullen and his team deserve no medals from the taxpayer for their Beijing performance

FIGURES recently released by the Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism under the Freedom of Information Act revealed that minister Martin Cullen and three officials ran up a staggering €67,000 bill during a three-week trip to Beijing for the Olympic Games last summer.

Aside from the costs associated with top-class accommodation in five-star hotels in Beijing and Hong Kong, the minister and his retinue claimed a “meal allowance” of more than €10,000 — a case of fine dining if ever there was one.

The issue of the trip first came to light last summer when it emerged that Cullen travelled first-class to the games while certain athletes travelled economy class.