Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 11 November 2020
87. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the process by which a person is identified as an elite athlete (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35559/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraGiven the current epidemiological situation with high incidence of disease, widespread community transmission, and considerable numbers of hospitalisations and deaths, it has been necessary to put in place very significant restrictions to arrest the current trajectory of the disease and break transmission chains. This means asking people to stay at home and eliminating as much activity and contacts as is possible to ensure that opportunities for the virus to transmit are minimised, while allowing essential activities to continue. Unfortunately, this means minimising discretionary activities, including some sporting activity, and also prioritising some sporting activities over others. It is in that context that a very limited exemption has been permitted for elite sportspeople to continue their training, principally to allow our high performance athletes and teams to prepare for the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games which have been postponed to 2021.
It is also important to highlight also that the defined group of exempted athletes, and their coaching staff, are also able to demonstrate extraordinary levels of control and compliance. The environment that the exempted professional and elite sportspeople operate in has a far greater capacity to monitor adherence to the COVID-19 protocols, underpinned by a structure to apply appropriate sanctions where breaches occur.
Professional and elite sport is defined in the public health regulations and is specific to these activities only:
- Professional sports people or sports people who participate within professional competition with a soccer club or the IRFU.
- A member of a high performance team funded by Sport Ireland.
- Those who compete at major international events including European and World Championships, Olympic and Paralympic Games. It is advised that these are senior athletes only within one of the following categories:
- Athletes on the 2020 International Carding Scheme
- Players on the 2020 Team Ireland Golf Scheme
- Senior riders in Show-Jumping, Eventing & Dressage
- Senior team players in Hockey, Cricket, and Rugby Sevens.
The definition of elite and professional sports people which is referred to in the public health regulations is established to provide guidance to a specific group of individuals during the Covid-19 pandemic. It is not intended to represent a universal definition of elite and professional athletes but rather reflects the Government's prioritisation in this matter.
In regard to the individual referred to by the Deputy, as they compete in a sport which does not have a recognised National Governing Body they fall outside the exemption provided in the public health regulations. Sport Ireland operates a recognition process for sporting bodies and I would advise that if the relevant body wishes to achieve recognition they make contact with Sport Ireland who will provide further guidance on the process and requirements for recognition.
