Irish Sports Council Hosts Information Day In Advance Of Changes To The Irish Anti-Doping Rules

The Irish Sports Council (ISC) today hosted an Anti Doping Information Day in advance of changes to the 2015 Irish Anti-Doping Rules (IADR).

The information day was an opportunity for leaders in the Irish Sporting community to discuss changes in the areas of sanctions, new rule violations, results management, statute of limitations, contaminated products and investigations.

Over 100 Anti Doping professionals from the sports community attended the event in Croke Park which featured presentations from Dr. Una May (Director of Anti Doping, ISC), Gary Rice (Partner, DAC Beachcroft) and Travis T. Tygart (CEO, USADA).

The Irish Anti-Doping Rules are being updated to be in compliance with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2015 World Code and the WADA International Standards and will come into effect from January 1st 2015.

Speaking at the event, Minister for Sport, Michael Ring said: "I am delighted to have the opportunity to open such an important event. We in Ireland are committed to inspiring fair play in sport and protecting the rights of clean athletes. Through the Irish Sports Council, we continue to make substantial progress in the areas of testing, education and research and are internationally recognised at the forefront of world anti doping through the application of the Irish Anti Doping Programme".

During the event, the Irish Sports Council launched its new Anti Doping awareness campaign, #BlackMark. The campaign aims to raise awareness of the Anti Doping programme and promote the message of clean sport.

John Treacy, CEO, Irish Sports Council, said "We are particularly privileged to have the CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency, Travis T. Tygart here today, a leading advocate for clean sport. The Irish Sports Council is proud of our collaborations with our international colleagues and intelligence agencies on doping activities and trends so that we can ensure that our Programme continues to be one of the best anti-doping programmes in the world"

Notes to the Editor
About Travis T. Tygart, CEO, USADA
Travis T. Tygart has been CEO of the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) since 2007.
Recognised by Sports Illustrated as one of the 50 Most Powerful People in Sports and named to the TIME 100 list of most influential people in the world for 2013., Travis led the investigation into the team-wide U.S. Postal Service Pro-Cycling team doping conspiracy and the Lance Armstrong case, which uncovered the most sophisticated and professionalised doping scheme that sport had ever seen.

About the ISC Anti Doping Programme
The Irish Sports Council's Anti Doping Programme is a fundamental part of the high performance programme to ensure that Irish athletes can complete clean on the world stage. The Irish Sports Council are dedicated to ensuring that future generations value the life lessons learned through the participation in sport in Ireland.

For more information contact
- Dr. Una May, Director of Anti Doping, 087 6491333
- Paul Farrell, Head of Communications, 087 7461324