GAA GO-AHEAD
It’s green light for elite sports under Level 5
ELITE sport, including the GAA’s AllIreland Championships, was given the green light by Government last night to proceed behind closed doors.
Sport survived the heightened restrictions which will see the country move to Level 5 of the country’s Living with Covid-19 roadmap, with Gaelic games the big winners after the resumption of the inter-county season had been threatened by the deepening public health crisis.
‘In line with current NPHET advice in respect of Level 5, professional, elite sports and inter-county Gaelic games, horse racing and greyhound racing can continue behind closed doors,’ said a Government statement last night.
Last night’s decision will ensure that the GAA’s Allianz Football League will be completed this weekend, when the All-Ireland Hurling Championship, which is set to be completed with 17 games over seven weekends, also gets underway.
Apart from the 15 Allianz League games set for this weekend, the football championship will see 30 games played over six weekends, with the
All-Ireland final pencilled in for December 19. Last night’s statement is also expected to allow the GAA’s underage competitions – the minor championships started last weekend – to proceed. The Gaelic Players Association’s (GPA) national executive will meet inside the next 48 hours, but are expected to support the exemption. However, they will seek to have protocols upgraded and adhered to, including more extensive testing programmes for players. It had been anticipated that elite international and professional sports were going to be exempt from any lockdown restrictions, but last night’s decision is still likely to have been met with relief by the IRFU, with the upcoming Six Nations and the ongoing Pro 14 in mind. It also paves the way for the FAI to conclude its domestic competitions, allows Dundalk compete in the Europa League and for next month’s Nations League games against Wales and Bulgaria to proceed. Meanwhile, the women’s European Qualifiers campaign stays on track as they prepare for Friday’s crunch tie with Ukraine in Kiev.