Gaa doping is a reality says mark rohan

Thirty-three year old Ballinahown Paralympian Mark Rohan has said this week that he believes there is doping in the GAA.

He made his comments to the Irish Independent in the wake of the first doping scandal in the GAA over the weekend where the Sunday Independent reported that a Monaghan footballer tested positive for steroids in February.

“I strongly believe there are dopers in the GAA. Once you involve money in sport it f*** everything up. The GAA is no different to any professional sport and is not exempt from cheats,” he told Independent.ie.

“You see big companies investing in county sponsorship and that puts added pressure on players. It just takes one high profile guy to get injured and say 'okay I need to get something back over the winter, I need to build up something here’,” he said.

The hand cycling champion added: “I’ve watched GAA players at close quarters and they are phenomenal athletes. I’ve been in Croke Park for the big games and they are operating on a different level.

“When you see it up close, they’re on a different planet completely. There is doping in the GAA and that’s for sure.”

Mark is currently training in the US and told Independent.ie that the Irish Sports Council runs one of the most comprehensive drug testing programmes in the world.

“I’ve been tested twice since arriving in the US. If they are responsible for the GAA testing programme, then they will detect some of the cheaters.”

He said doping is everywhere in sport and said: “People wouldn’t think it but there are dopers in Paralympic sport.”