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Dublin Marathon to review starting orders; GAA president gives update on return plans

The Morning Sports Briefing: Keep ahead of the game with ‘The Irish Times’ sports team

Sport Ireland has until Monday, May 18th to appeal the James Cronin doping violation decision. File photograph: Inpho
Sport Ireland has until Monday, May 18th to appeal the James Cronin doping violation decision. File photograph: Inpho
Mon May 11 2020 - 07:40

The 2020 Dublin Marathon will this week be reviewing its starting orders. The 41st running of the event, set for Sunday October 25th, is a 25,000-entry sell-out. Ian O'Riordan reports: "It may be time, race director Jim Aughney has admitted, to decide whether or not it can still take place as planned, with at least some major adjustments likely to be necessary in the face of Covid-19." Sport Ireland will make decision on whether to appeal James Cronin's doping violation decision this week - and Dr Una May says the cost involved will not determine if the case is taken or not.

The Premier League faces a week of chaos after hopes of a British government direction on Project Restart were dashed by prime minister Boris Johnson's uncertain address yesterday evening. As the league convenes another extraordinary meeting of its 20 clubs this morning, they are no closer to being given official clearance to resume playing. In his column this morning, Ken Early writes that Europeans getting too excited about the K-League's kick-off need to realise that only 56 deaths occurred in South Korea in the 30 days leading up to the resumption of the football league. "Fifty-six deaths is currently one sunny afternoon's worth of Covid-19 carnage in the UK".

GAA president John Horan has maintained the association's desire to complete this year's club and intercounty championships. In an interview on RTÉ's Sunday Game last night, he explained the GAA faces a €50 million loss this year should no matches take place in 2020, that any intercounty return must include all 32 counties, and that he expects a return to action for contact sports to coincide with smaller gatherings of fans being permitted. Government restrictions are currently set to be lifted on the playing of contact sports such as GAA and soccer on July 20th - and Horan effectively ruled out any return until such social distancing measures are in place.

Meanwhile in the latest entry to our sporting controversies series, Philip Reid recalls the 2010 Leinster football final when Joe Sheridan's 'goal' denied Louth a historic victory. Racing resumes behind closed doors in France today with the sport in Ireland set to look on enviously, and the PGA Tour's Memorial Tournament in Ohio in July will use high-tech radio frequency identification chips in tournament badges to ensure social distancing is maintained.