Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I will raise an issue I have raised before both at an Oireachtas joint committee and in this House, the issue of the Irish Athletic Boxing Association, IABA. An Oireachtas committee met with this organisation. The then CEO of Sport Ireland, Mr. John Treacy, indicated to us that a governance review of the organisation was taking place following our queries. No report has been forthcoming to date despite it having been due at Christmas. As a committee, we looked for specific answers to a number of questions and the organisation committed to providing them but, to date, we have not received replies. We have not even received replies to letters we have sent to the organisation. An election for officers and an AGM was organised. In the middle of the election, a significant number of the officers who were running were suspended. The AGM did not take place and we still do not have the result of the election that took place. I have read in theIrish Independentthat the appeals these officers took to Sport Dispute Solutions Ireland through the Federation of Irish Sport were successful. The board of directors of this organisation has not met in nearly 12 months. In comments the Garda Commissioner made in respect of MTK Global, which made international news, he asked individuals involved in sport to cut all ties with that organisation. Does that extend to amateur boxing? Should the IABA make a statement on the matter? It is an issue the Minister of State with responsibility for sport needs to deal with. It has been going on for a number of years and, to be quite honest, it is a sham.