An Irish TD has called on the governments to grant power to sports' governing bodies to issue elite athletes with waivers to the 5 km travel restriction for the purpose of training.
Fianna Fail TD, and the party's spokesperson on Transport, Tourism, and Sport, Marc MacSharry believes that many athletes should be allowed access training facilities that are over the travel limit allowed.
The limit, which is set to be extended to 20 km on June 8, has meant that a number of professional and elite amateur athletes haven't been able to access training facilities since coronavirus restrictions were implemented.
MacSharry said: “We have hundreds of high performance athletes in this country limited in their capacity to train because they do not live within 5km of their training facility.
“Ireland has always done tremendously well in international competitions in various fields, including swimming, boxing, and sailing. The reality is for many the resources in training facilities cannot be replicated at home. Elite level athletes need to be training all year round to not only maintain their fitness and skills but improve on them.
“We are little over one year away from the postponed Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics. I understand there are approx. 200 potential athletes who need to be in full training now to prepare for next years games.
“The Olympic and Paralympic Games have always served to lift the spirits of the nation. These and other high performance athletes should be provided with the opportunity to train to the highest standard. Minister Ross needs to make provisions for national governing bodies to provide this access to training facilities."
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