Press Release Issued on behalf of the GAA and the Irish Sports Council

The GAA and the Irish Sports Council jointly announce that the GAA Anti-Doping Hearings Committee determined that player Thomas Connolly has committed an anti-doping rule violation.

Thomas Connolly, a GAA player from Monaghan, has been sanctioned by a period of ineligibility of 2 years commencing on the 18th March 2015 - the date on which he was provisionally suspended by the GAA, subject to rights of appeal within 21 days under the Irish Anti-Doping Rules. This was a reduction from the standard period of 4 years' ineligibility because the GAA Anti-Doping Hearings Committee was of the view that the anti-doping rule violation was not intentional, under article 10.1.3 of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules. In an out of competition doping control test on the 13th February he provided a sample which tested positive for the presence of a prohibited substance, 3'-hydroxystanozolol glucuronide (Stanozolol).

The hearing was held on under Article 8 (Disciplinary Process) of the Irish Anti-Doping Rules and this announcement is made pursuant to Article 15 (Public Disclosure) of the Rules.

The full Decision of the Disciplinary Panel is available at http://www.irishsportscouncil.ie/Anti-Doping/Resources1/Sanctions/.