ATHLETICS IRELAND have asked for further clarification following the allegation that three per cent of the unnamed athletes caught up in the Sunday Times’ doping revelations are Irish.
After conducting a joint investigation with German broadcaster ARD/WDR, the Sunday Times claim around 12,000 blood samples from 5,000 athletes – taken between 2001 and 2012 – show signs of doping.
The damning report suggests up to 150 Irish athletes could be guilty, but was unable to name names, though Athletics Ireland chief executive John Foley has called for more information to be passed to Ireland’s National Governing Body for track and field sports.
“Athletics Ireland believes in a zero tolerance policy for doping and we are fully committed alongside the Irish Sports Council (ISC) to enforce the rules,” said Foley.
“Athletics Ireland shares the concerns expressed by the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and we call on the IAAF (International Associations of Athletics Federations), as the world governing body for the sport, to clarify the situation as soon as possible.”
The Sunday Times have labelled the information they hold as “the biggest leak of blood-test data in sporting history” and, as such, their report has raised eyebrows worldwide.
WADA have admitted they are “deeply concerned” by the revelations, though Foley insists Athletics Ireland lead the way in drug-testing in Irish sport.
He added: “Our record for tackling doping stands for itself down through the years. Ireland are at the forefront of testing athletes and we stand confidently over the drug testing programme administered by the ISC which sees athletics as the most tested sport in Ireland.
“We have a fantastic sport which is growing annually in Ireland and we want to ensure that all the stakeholders in our sport are committed to a clean environment for our athletes.”
The report claims Russian athletes are accountable for the majority of the suspicious samples with around 30 per cent, while also suggesting around a third of medals won at major athletics events between 2001 and 2012 may have been obtained unlawfully.
