ISC ratchets up pressure _for Umbrella Body

By Michael Slavin

Appearing to call a halt to further stalling on the implementation of an Umbrella Body, the Irish Sports Council has tied almost a quarter of a million Euro of its 2005 funding for Equestrian Sport to the completion of that much delayed project.

When announcing a record €450,000 High Performance Grant to the Equestrian Federation of Ireland Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism John O'Donoghue and the Irish Sports Council made no bones about the fact that half of that amount was aimed toward the work of putting together a single unified body for equestrian sport in Ireland.

It is long known that his department and that of Agriculture wish to deal with one, rather than many, bodies in relation to the funding it provides.

However for many years now the project has been halted over a disagreement between the EFI and the Government regarding the appointment of a Chairman of the implementation body. The Government wanted the well experienced Michael Dowling to take up the post. The EFI refused to accept that nomination. The Government replied that he was the only man on offer.

It is odd therefore that in her statement of welcome for the generous funding of €450,000 EFI President Avril Doyle MEP made scant mention of this impasse. She simply said that the EFI was "proceeding with the wishes of the Minister for Sport and the Irish Sports Council for an implementation Group that will oversee the formation of an umbrella body for the industry''.

So far so good! But then comes this rather cryptic statement: "We are awaiting the Minister's confirmation of a candidate to chair this Group.''

What candidate? We understand that the Government still has but one candidate on offer - Michael Dowling. So there is no need for further "confirmation''.

Or is there a straw in the wind? Was anything supposed to come out of IHB Chairman Michael Osborne's meeting last Saturday with delegates from the various equestrian bodies? Perhaps the answers to these questions will emerge over the next few weeks. Meantime the stone-walling goes on.

It appears it is not an umbrella we need at all but rather a bit of cement. 50% of the funding is being made available to the Equestrian Federation of Ireland immediately.

The other 50% is conditional on the establishment of a Steering Group to oversee the implementation of the Connellan Report, which highlights the need for a new umbrella body for horse sport in Ireland.