GAA and Sports Council defer out-of-competition drug tests

CROKE PARK chiefs have reached an agreement with the Irish Sports Council to postpone out-of-competition drug-testing of inter-county GAA players until next season at the earliest. Both organisations agree that the after-match drug testing programme has bedded down this season after a stormy introduction.

And Sports Council chief executive John Treacy yesterday dismissed scaremongering that drug testers can call to GAA players’ homes and places of work when the out-of-competition testing is phased in next year.

“All out-of-competition testing for the GAA would be at collective training, essentially because it’s more practical,” said Mr Treacy. “Because individual athletes can vary training times, it makes more sense to test at home, but that would not be the case with the GAA,” he said.