Tuesday 9th August, the Irish Athletic Boxing Association (IABA) has been notified that Michael O’Reilly will no longer be contesting his provisional suspension imposed on him on 4th August 2016.
We acknowledge receipt of Michael’s statement today, Tuesday 9th August in which he admits that he unintentionally took a supplement that may have contained a prohibited substance. We note he has offered his sincere apology to his fellow team members, IABA, Sport Ireland and the Olympic Council of Ireland.
We are very disappointed that Michael may have taken any supplement without consulting the IABA High Performance Support Team. Educating athletes of the risks proposed by supplements is provided to all our boxers as part of the High Performance Programme.
We can confirm that Michael has now left the Olympic Village and will have no further involvement in the Rio Olympic Games. The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) will be making arrangements for him to return to Ireland as soon as possible.
The IABA is fully committed to the Irish Anti-Doping Rules. Michael’s adverse test result initiated a process as set out in those rules. This process remains underway and until it is completed we are not in a position to comment further.
In the meantime, the remaining boxers, coaches and support staff at the Olympic Games in Rio are our primary focus. We are committed to providing them with all necessary support as they represent Ireland at the Olympics.
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