Griffin: Athletes need help from GPA-style body

Olympic walker Colin Griffin believes Irish athletes need some kind of representative body similar to the GPA (Gaelic Players’ Association).

Griffin, who has taken a year’s sabbatical from his sport to expand his altitude training business, has been impressed by how the body representing inter-county hurlers and footballers has provided a range of services for its members and believes something similar is needed for those in Irish athletics and most Olympic sports.

And although the 31-year-old Leitrim athlete acknowledges some of the support services offered by the Institute of Sport in terms of career development and life after competing, he believes there needs to be greater support that’s not just athlete-centred but athlete-led.