Michael Ring (Mayo, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move amendment No. 7:

In page 24, to delete lines 18 to 20 and substitute the following:" "anti-doping rule violation” shall be construed in accordance with the Irish Anti-Doping Rules;

“doping in sport” means the occurrence of one, or more, anti-doping rule violations;”.

This relates to the definition of "doping" in sport. The definition in the original text of the Bill gave doping in sport the same meaning as it has in the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport. There were concerns that this definition could cause a difficulty for Sport Ireland in bringing certain cases against athletes suspected of doping. The concern is that there can be a significant delay between the time when the new anti-doping rule violations are introduced by the World Anti-Doping Agency, WADA, and when the definition in the convention is updated to reflect these new rule violations. This delay could stop Sport Ireland from bringing cases against athletes suspected of doping under any new rule violations agreed by WADA but not yet agreed under the convention. I am amending the definition now to guard against any such difficulties arising. This amendment will mean that all anti-doping rule violations under the WADA code will have immediate effect in Ireland under the Irish anti-doping rules.

See this speech in context