Basketball Ireland to fund Cork programme but row rumbles on

Chief executive Bernard O’Byrne has revealed that Basketball Ireland (BI) will stump up the €4,000 shortfall to continue a development officer programme in Cork, mired in controversy, through the rest of this year.

The post, held by UCC Demons and Irish international, Ciarán O’Sullivan, is at the centre of a festering local row, with the executive of the Cork Ladies Basketball Board (CLBB) withdrawing their part-funding for the programme on the basis that guarantees on accountability have not been met.

The decision has thrown the spotlight on CLBB chairman George Meade, who is faced with mounting criticism from ladies clubs in Cork who have voiced their strong support for the work O’Sullivan is doing.