Association must be vigilant - Drugs in the GAA

THE first guilty drugs verdict against a member of the GAA in its long history underlines the kind of pressure players are coming under to rid sport of illegal drugs.

With close to 1m members, including thousands of children who turn out every weekend, the organisation is regarded as one of the leading amateur sports bodies in the world. The amazing thing is that before this verdict, GAA players have been drugs clean. Yet, in this case, the footballer was found to have taken a steroid by accident rather than to cheat.

According to GAA president Aogán Ó Fearghaill, the organisation works extremely closely with the Irish Sports Council which is tasked with rooting out drugs in every kind of sport played in Ireland. In contrast with professional games where money counts above all, with some players paid obscene amounts, GAA members are volunteers who play for the honour of club or county rather than personal gain.