Bord na gCon

Bord na gCon (Irish pronunciation: [bˠoːɾˠd̪ˠ nə ɡon̪ˠ]; in English, the Irish Greyhound Board), abbreviated as BnaC and IGB, is an Irish semi-state body charged with regulating and promoting Greyhound racing in Ireland.[1] The board has been active in developing the sport in Ireland since its founding on 11 July 1958.[2]

The Bord na gCon is a commercial semi-state body and reports to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.[3]

History

Bord na gCon was established under the Greyhound Industry Act of 1958 with a number of aims. The body was formed to regulate the industry, operate a tote betting system, licence and authorise each stadium, its officials, and its on-course bookmakers, and promote the sport through advertising and prize grants.[1] It became responsible for all tracks in Ireland, with the exception of the Ulster tracks that would remain under the jurisdiction of the Irish Coursing Club.[4]

In 1960 the Bord na gCon installed a new totalisator system at four tracks Harolds Cross, Shelbourne Park, Cork and Limerick, in addition to obtaining Clonmel from the Morris family headed by T.A.Morris the former secretary of the Irish Coursing Club. Des Hanrahan became chairman of the Bord na gCon in 1965 and actively sought to buy any Irish tracks in danger of being sold to developers.[5]

Bord na gCon received €14.5 million in state funding during 2007, but has been criticised for lacking government oversight.[6] Bord na gCon has been active in improving Ireland's greyhound stadia in recent years, and in 2007 announced a €28 million investment in its facilities in Limerick and Kilkenny.[7]

The board also reports on the results of Northern Irish tracks, of which two remain today Derry and Drumbo Park. The reason for the involvement is because Northern Irish tracks do not come under the jurisdiction of the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB). However the tracks do not receive funding or licensing from the Bord na gCon.[8]

The board has long had a comprehensive policy on doping in the sport, even including viagra on its list of banned substances.[9] However, in 2006 Bord na gCon was imbued with controversy. A report illustrating that two dogs had tested positive for the banned substance EPO was not made public by the board, contrary to standard practice. Aidan Tynan, the board's CEO at the time, sent a letter to the Minister for Sport, John O'Donoghue, outlining his concern with the situation. He was then removed from his position by the board. A government report subsequently criticised the board for its actions,[10][11] and a 2008 report by the Comptroller and Auditor General found some irregularities in the board's accounts.[12]

Stadia

Bord na gCon regulates all of Ireland's greyhound stadia. There are stadia in the following locations:[13]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Bord na gCon". Sport Agencies. Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  2. ↑ "Remember When - July". Greyhound Star.
  3. ↑ "2014 Annual Report" (PDF). Irish Greyhound Board.
  4. ↑ "Bord na gCon". Sport Agencies. Department of Arts, Sports and Tourism. Archived from the original on 2008-04-14. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  5. ↑ Comyn, John. 50 Years of Greyhound Racing in Ireland. Aherlow Publishers Ltd.
  6. ↑ Brennan, Michael (2008-06-27). "Activities of greyhound board 'went unsupervised'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  7. ↑ "Bord Na gCon announces €28m investment". RTÉ News. 2007-07-24. Archived from the original on 2007-10-24. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  8. ↑ "Results". Irish Greyhound Board.
  9. ↑ Kelso, Paul (2001-06-21). "Racetrack ban after Viagra gets greyhounds going". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  10. ↑ Corcoran, Jody (2006-05-14). "Revealed: the dog-doping secret report". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  11. ↑ "Govt to re-examine laws after Bord na gCon report". RTÉ News. 2006-07-04. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  12. ↑ Daily, Darina (2008-06-11). "Bord na gCon investigation published". The Irish Times. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
  13. ↑ "Home Page (see Stadia)". Irish Greyhound Board. Retrieved 2008-07-17.
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