Eamonn Coghlan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I thank the representatives of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association and Sport Ireland for appearing before the joint committee. This matter seems to be dragging on and I am not sure we will get anywhere with it. This is the first time since I became a Member of the Oireachtas that the resignation of a sports coach has been discussed in a committee. The reason this issue has come before us is the esteem in which Mr. Billy Walsh and the IABA are held and the outstanding success achieved in Irish amateur boxing for many years.

I should place on record that I was the chairman of the high performance committee of the Irish Sports Council between 2008 and 2012. I foresaw this issue coming to a head all those years ago because I was part and parcel of conversations with Mr. Walsh and members of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association who are not members of the IABA board but are still very much involved on the periphery of amateur boxing. Gary Keegan and Billy Walsh travelled to Germany to study high performance programmes and later visited Russia where they learned from what the Russians were able to achieve. More important, they excelled to such an extent that they became the envy of high performance programmes around the world. They were also envied in Ireland, not for what they achieved but because they seemed to have become better than everybody else.

Mr. Christle stated that he wanted Billy Walsh to stay and the issue was definitely not one of money. I do not believe that. Why did Mr. Christle not go out of his way during the relevant period to make sure the IABA kept Mr. Walsh, rather than allowing the matter to drag on and eventually wearing Mr. Walsh out, with the result that he left his position?

Mr. Walsh's high profile was also mentioned. It was something of a problem that he had a higher profile than boxing itself and some of the other coaches. Mr. Treacy indicated that 20 coaches were available to replace Mr. Walsh. I believe the kudos Mr. Walsh was receiving did not go down well and I understand some of the coaches behind the scenes did not rate him.

The Irish Amateur Boxing Association receives funding from the Irish Sports Council. How much money from its own purse was the IABA prepared to put into retaining Mr. Billy Walsh? Of the total funding the IABA receives to run the organisation, what percentage comes from sponsorship, gate receipts and membership fees, respectively? What is its largest source of income?

On the debriefing following the London Olympics, I understand many of the national governing bodies have delivered on the structures that were suggested. Why has the IABA not delivered in this regard? Will the representatives of the IABA describe the association's relationship with Sport Ireland? I read a statement from the IABA in which it ascribed "ulterior motives" to Sport Ireland. If that is the case, what are these ulterior motives?

A replacement will have to be found for Billy Walsh. How will he be replaced? When will the process begin? Who will be involved in the interview process? Who will be on the selection panel? What powers will the new head coach or director of high performance have? Will he or she be able to report or speak to the Olympic Council of Ireland or Gary Keegan at the Irish Institute of Sports? This will be a tedious process.

I have several questions for the representatives of Sport Ireland. After the experience of the past eight years, does Sport Ireland have confidence in the board of directors of the Irish Amateur Boxing Association? Does it have confidence in the ability of the chief executive officer of the IABA to deliver? How does it propose to repair the damage that has been done to boxing in recent weeks and years?