Dog doping row - Taggart should stand aside in row

WITH the murky world of Irish greyhound racing mired in controversy after the sacking of the Irish Greyhound Board’s chief executive, allegedly for blowing the whistle in a doping row, yesterday’s call for an independent body to police the lucrative sport warrants serious consideration.

The bona fides of the industry are now dogged by uncertainty following the abrupt sacking of executive Aidan Tynan by wealthy businessman Paschal Taggart, chairman of the State’s greyhound racing board.

At the heart of their bitter feud is a letter to Sports Minister John O’Donoghue from Mr Tynan outlining his concerns over the board’s alleged refusal to publish details of two incidents in which greyhounds were given the performance-enhancing drug EPO.

Regrettably, the organisation has a record of concealing the findings of its own disciplinary procedures and the latest development will strengthen that perception. But with thousands of punters betting millions of euro on the dogs, the integrity of the industry must be above question.

Some idea of its importance can be gleaned from its rapid financial expansion. Last year, for instance, the tote raked in more than €50 million, outpacing horse racing. Prize money in 2005 amounted to €10m. The Paddy Power greyhound derby is now the richest race in the world.

The Irish Greyhound Board has received some €70m in State aid. And next year a million-dollar international greyhound race will be held in Cork.

In economic, social and image-making terms, racing is hugely important. This country can ill-afford to have its fastest growing gambling sector under suspicion.

Yet, Ireland’s long-standing reputation for producing top class greyhounds will inevitably suffer if this controversy continues.

Trust is an essential ingredient of the racing game and so doping, or even the suspicion of doping, cannot be tolerated.

Coming from the most senior executive in the industry, the damning allegation that wrong-doing has been swept under the carpet is bound to have far-reaching implications.

Mr Taggart claims the sacking of Mr Tynan was unrelated to the doping letter. But in the public eye both events are intertwined.

Whatever the explanation, the board’s image has been left in tatters. If such goings-on occurred in any other national sporting organisation there would be an outcry.

Imagine, for the sake of argument, a hypothetical scenario where the Republic’s ex-football manager Brian Kerr was summarily fired for blowing the whistle on an FAI cover-up of doping among players. The public would be outraged.

A report on the twists and turns of this row has been delivered to Mr O’Donoghue. No doubt, its findings will be under the microscope since the organisation at the epicentre of the greyhound war has investigated the conflict.

That lends weight to the call by Fine Gael TD Jimmy Deenihan for the controls and appeal process governing greyhound racing to be taken away from the board and transferred to an independent, centralised body.

Given the fallout of the current controversy, especially its potential to damage the country’s greyhound industry, it would make sense if control was vested in a separate body answerable to the Sports Minister.

The public is looking with anticipation to Saturday’s Shelbourne Park press conference when Mr Taggart promises that all questions will be answered in full.

In the meantime, to assuage public unease he should stand aside as chairman of the Irish Greyhound Board until this unseemly row is resolved.