Michael O’Reilly Tweets That He Expects To Fight In Rio

The Irish Olympic team was rocked today with the news that boxer Michael O’Reilly had tested positive for a banned drug. The Irish Amateur Boxing Association have confirmed that a member of the Irish team has been provisionally suspended from competing in Rio.

The news has thrown the Irish Olympic camp into disarray, with boxing officials dodging a direct encounter with news organisations. As a result, the situation remains unclear, with no one yet providing any indication as to what the banned substance might be, nor how serious it is in the spectrum of possible drugs offences.

Meanwhile, there was a defiant tweet from Michael O’Reilly himself, saying simply: “Box on the 12th in the last 16 against the winner of Mexico or Iraq.”

Whether that is possible or not now remains to be seen. Currently the No.2 in the Middleweight world rankings, O’Reilly was seen as a real medal prospect for Ireland, and so his misfortune will likely hit team morale hard. On the other hand, boxing is of necessity a hugely selfish sport. While being part of a team with aspirations to doing well is a big plus, once you are in the ring, it is down to one person only. Well, except when the judges get it completely wrong – something with which Michael O’Reilly has had to contend in the past.

One view is that as a southpaw he does most of his good work on the counter – and this is not always appreciated by judges. Among the theories being advanced today was suggestion that the wrongs that have been done to him in the past might have sparked him to look for something extra. However, that hardly seems to make sense.

Indeed it is hard to take any meaning from what has happened to date – except that it is sad to see one of our boxers embroiled in a controversy of this kind. There is an extraordinary picture, taken before the Irish team left Dublin, with Michael O’Reilly in the centre. All of the other boxers have their arms around one another – except the man in the middle. It is as if he had an inkling then that a rift might be on the way – and thought it better not to drag his team mates into the difficulties that were likely facing him.

The test was carried out in Ireland and by Irish testers from the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Agency – and so there may be some comfort too, to be taken from the fact that the Irish system emerges from the incident, however it ultimately pans out, as one that has integrity.

Adam Nolan, who represented Ireland at the 2012 Olympics in London, spoke on RTÉ 2fm this evening and told listeners to that station's sports programme, Game On, that Ireland’s coaching team now have a critical role to play in ensuring that our fighters maintain their focus.

“The coaches that we do have out there are top-class, world-class coaches,” he insisted. “They will keep the boxers focused on the job in hand. John Conlan, Eddie Bolger, Zaur Antia, they have a job to do. Obviously, this is not ideal preparation. It’s headlines all over Ireland at this stage.”

Below is the full text of the statement that was issued by the Irish Athletic Boxing Association today:

"The Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has been notified by Sport Ireland today of an alleged violation of the Irish Anti-doping Rules committed by one of the boxers in our High Performance Unit.

In following the strict procedures applying to an adverse analytical finding, the athlete in question has been informed and is provisionally suspended. The boxer can request to have a “B” sample tested but cannot participate in any competition or activity prior to the completion of an investigation under Article 8 of the Irish Anti-doping Rules.

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association has always maintained a zero tolerance approach to doping and Irish Boxing has been one of the most widely tested sports by the National Anti-Doping Programme over the last number of years.

IABA’s policy is that doping is contrary to the spirit of sport and every member of the association has a duty to ensure that the sport is free of doping. We ensure our boxers are available for testing in and out of competition.

The Irish Athletic Boxing Association will not be in a position to comment further until all elements of due process associated with the anti-doping programme are completed in this case."

Here also is the full text of the statement from the Olympic Council of Ireland:

“The Olympic Council of Ireland can confirm that the Sport Ireland Anti-Doping Agency has returned an adverse analytical finding in an A-sample provided to anti-doping officers.

The finding relates to a test not conducted at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The athlete has been provisionally suspended from competition and can take part in no sports activity, including training, in accordance with the WADA Code.

The athlete will now decide whether to accept a sanction for a doping violation, to request that a B-sample be tested, or to appeal the provisional suspension.

No further communication will be made on the matter and the athlete’s identity will remain confidential unless the sanction is accepted or the B-sample is tested and also returns an adverse analytical finding.”