By Brendan Mooney THE Olympic Council of Ireland will not be co-operating with the Irish Sports Council in the Beijing Report, Hon General Secretary, Dermot Sherlock, confirmed at last night’s EGM held in Croke Park. Mr Sherlock also revealed that the OCI will be meeting with Horse Sport Ireland to receive a full report on the “Lantinus” doping incident at the Olympic Equestrian event in Hong Kong.
The meeting elected Olympic silver medallist, Sonia O’Sullivan, a three-time Olympian, to the OCI Executive and she will have a big role to play in leading Ireland through to the London 2012.
Pat Hickey, himself, was re-elected unopposed to the position he has held since 1988 but this will be his last four-year term at the helm as he will not be seeking re-election in 2012 when he will depart the position to concentrate on his role as President of the powerful grouping of European Olympic Committees and an almost certain post on the executive of the International Olympic Committee.
He will, however, be devoting his full and total attention to London 2012 and last night he urged the Olympic sports to do everything in their power to make this Ireland’s most successful Olympics.
“London will be an Olympic Games in which there should be no excuses, whinges or complaints about travel, about acclimatisation, about medical support, about Village conditions, about time changes and so on,” he said. “This will be an Olympic Games in hour home parish the nearest thing ever to Ireland hosting it’s own Games.
“London 2012 represents a great opportunity for every federation in this room to work together with the OCI to make it a very successful Olympics — our Olympics” He said the reason he was challenging everyone to make a very special effort towards London 2012 was because it will be the nearest we will ever get to having the Olympic Games in Ireland.
Dermot Sherlock, the Hon General Secretary, confirmed that the OCI will not be involved with the Irish Sports Council’s “Beijing Review.”
“The Chef de Mission has undertaken an in-depth review of our preparation for and participation in the Beijing Games which is continuing as we meet,” he said.
“Detailed questionnaires have been completed by participants in Beijing which will be analysed by a professional firm and reviewed by consultants.
“This review will be the only review in which the OCI will participate and this fact has been clearly pointed out to the Irish Sports Council (ISC) in regard to the Beijing Games.”
Referring to the Lantinus doping controversy he said that within Olympic Sport equestrianism is unique in that the IOC or WADA did not control the testing of horses which was a matter for the International Federation concerned, “out of competition” testing did not occur and the presence of prohibited substances was only applicable at a competition site or in the competition itself.
“There is also a provision in the FEI veterinary regulations for a horse to be treated with a prohibited substance prior to arrival at an event in which case a veterinary report must be submitted by the person responsible showing the exact time of administration, etc.,” he said.
“If the FEI veterinary delegate was satisfied the horse would not have an unfair advantage as a result of the treatment the veterinary delegate would be entitled to clear the horse retrospectively.
“In the lead up to the Beijing Games assurances were given to the OCI by the Equestrian Federation of Ireland — later Horse Sport Ireland — that proper procedures would be followed and all substances and procedures administered or undertaken would be recorded to avoid any possibility of a recurrence of what transpired in Athens.
“In the event we know that this was not the case and the Lantinus incident occurred,” he said. “The OCI will be meeting with Horse Sport Ireland to receive a full report on this incident and all matters surrounding it.”
Officers elected:
President: Patrick Hickey — Judo (outgoing); First Vice President: William O’Brien — archery (outgoing); Second Vice President: John Delaney — football (outgoing); Hon General Secretary: Dermot Sherlock — boxing (outgoing); Hon Treasurer: Peadar Casey — rowing (outgoing).
Executive Committee: Susan Aherne — volleyball (outgoing); Mary Baneham — basketball (outgoing); Bobbie Begley — athletics (outgoing); Dermot Henihan — rowing (outgoing); Billy Kennedy — cycling (outgoing); Sonia O’Sullivan — athletics; Tom Rafter — fencing (outgoing).