Olympic homecoming - Hickey must make way for new blood

IT was a measure of Ireland’s lacklustre Olympic performance — with the glittering exception of Cian O’Connor and his horse Waterford Crystal — that yesterday’s homecoming was overshadowed by the manic behaviour of an ex-priest and the controversy raging around Pat Hickey, Irish Olympic Council president.

To the cringing shame of his family and country, pictures of lunatic-fringe priest Neil Horan rugby-tackling the Brazilian runner Vanderlei de Lima, robbing him of a gold medal chance, made front page news around the globe.

Thankfully, however, he failed to rob yesterday’s homecoming of its one bright light. Without Cian O’Connor’s stunning gold medal, it would have been a quiet affair rather than the ecstatic welcome that deservedly greeted the victor.

Yet, Horan is a free man today, out on probation following yesterday’s decision by an Athens judge to suspend his 12-month jail sentence. That the defrocked Kerry priest suffers from depression is no excuse.

If he has a medical condition, it should be treated. If not, there is every chance such an incident will happen again.

At least, that is the informed opinion of his own brother who says Horan assured the family he would never repeat last year’s dangerous incursion at Silverstone, when he disrupted the Grand Prix.

Though the world did not end in 1999, as he had predicted, he is nonetheless entitled to believe the second coming is near. But he is not entitled to carry on grossly anti-social behaviour, endangering life and infringing the rights of others.

To guard against such outrageous behaviour in future, Horan should immediately be black-listed internationally. If football hooligans can be stopped from travelling, he too should be prevented from attending major events.

He has been sacked by the Church and his family are deeply hurt.

The people of Scartaglin, of Kerry, and of Ireland are sick and tired of his antics.

Understandably, the people of Brazil are furious. How would Ireland have reacted if a Brazilian lunatic had run in front of Waterford Crystal, depriving Cian O’Connor of a gold medal?

It would be wrong to denigrate the performance of our other athletes. It is clear the long-term target set by Sports Minister John O’Donoghue for Ireland to consistently win medals will only be achieved with more generous funding. The figure of €11 million invested in the Athens games contrasts starkly with the €15m granted for the white elephant of an equestrian centre built at Punchestown by developers with friends in the Cabinet.

The chronic lack of physical education facilities in Irish schools is another damning comment on the Government’s hypocrisy. Nor is it good enough for John Treacy, chief executive of the Irish Sports Council, to suggest that schools which lack adequate PE facilities should use whatever outdoor space they may have. He should be hounding the Government to bring Ireland into line with countries like New Zealand where schools have excellent facilities. The results were seen in its three gold and two silver medals at Athens.

Despite the call by former Sports Minister Jim McDaid for the OCI President to quit, Mr Hickey evaded the issue yesterday, claiming the day belonged to Cian O’Connor. Fair enough. But the controversy surrounding his presidency will not go away. It is time Mr Hickey stepped down to make way for new blood on the OCI executive committee.