Gaelic games not covered under current Level 5 exemptions
Inter-county Gaelic games activity is not covered under the current Level 5 exemptions for elite sport, the Minister of State for Sport, Jack Chambers, has clarified.
On Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1 this morning, Minister Chambers pointed out that Gaelic games were given an exemption last winter at a stage when the Covid-19 situation was not as critical as the past few weeks.
Furthermore, he said, the Gaelic games organisations – GAA, LGFA and Camogie Association – had not shown 'massive appetite' for a return in the short to medium term and were keen to support the public health effort, and did not request an extension to the concession for January and February.
Minister Chambers said: “To be clear, the government has been very thankful to the GAA and broader sporting organisations for supporting the public health effort. I want to see the championship this year. I want to see our young people getting back playing.
“When the GAA championship was run off, that was done in the context of Level 5 and there was a concession outside of the Level 5 framework approved by government. Once the championship finished in December, as you know there was no fixtures scheduled at that point.
“There was also a very difficult Level 5 lockdown for the country so the regulations didn't capture that because there were no fixtures in the current schedule. The concession concluded at the end of last year.
“When you look at the context of the number of cases in January, that is why the government is revising the plan. I haven't any communication from NPHET on this. It is a case of giving a direct answer on a concession for inter-county GAA.”
Minister Chambers said it wasn't a case of the GAA losing permanent elite status but simply that an exemption had run its course.
“There was no decision taken to remove the GAA from the elite category. It's a case of giving clarity on the regulations as they currently stand. It wasn't a case of removing, it was a case of giving clarity.
“What I'm seeking to do is work with the GAA and other sporting organisations is provide an update in the context of the revised plan and hopefully we can give certainty on the timeline for the broader return to sport.
“The priority at this point is to reinforce the public health message for people to stay at home and that gives us a lot more opportunity in the sport and the broadening of the reopening of society through the year.
“I think the GAA are capable of protecting the safety of players and I commend what happened in 2020 and how they ran out the championship. But there is no championship planned for the next two to three weeks, for example. This is a case of revising the plan and giving certainty through the year. We want to see young people back playing with their local clubs.”
Minister Chambers said the government isn't in a position to give a specific return to play date but intends to do so later this month when the Living with Covid plan is revised.
As to why the League of Ireland season is going ahead, starting next month, Minister Chambers said the roadmap published last autumn gave exemptions for professional sports. The League of Ireland employs around 200 full-time sports people and a similar number part-time, and the professional aspect of the sport allows their activity to continue.
League of Ireland clubs have resumed pre-season training. The SSE Airtricity Premier Division will commence on March 19, with the SSE Airtricity First Division and SSE Airtricity Women's National League to follow on March 26.
It's a similar situation with rugby as the Irish professional outfits (Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster) remain in competitive action.