Sport in Northern Ireland remains in a state of crisis this morning following the resignation on Monday of nine of the 14 members of the Sports Council of Northern Ireland Board.
This was the letter which was sent to Minister Carál Ní Chuilín and which has been accepted by her ahead of a full inquiry into allegations of bullying that were brought forward by as many as eleven of the 140 members of staff at the Council.
The minister’s views on how this situation has developed can perhaps be gleaned from a tweet sent last night from her personal account which quotes Nelson Mandela
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear but the triumph over it” Nelson Mandela
— Carál Ní Chuilín MLA (@CaralNiChuilin) July 7, 2015
Earlier this year the Sport NI CEO Antoinette McKeown was suspended pending investigation of allegations made by her and about her. A union representative was quoted yesterday as saying this suspension remains in place.
The resignations were triggered by an internal report which brought out claims of bullying around a variety of issues, though it has been stressed that none of those who have resigned were in any way involved.
The allegations include alleged pressures brought to bear around the development of Casement Park, the GAA’s main base in Belfast and considered a likely venue for matches in the Rugby World Cup bid being put forward by The IRFU in partnership with both the Dublin and Stormont Governments.
It has been said though that these were not the main reason for the resignations after the report.
The Minister is to meet Chairman Brian Henning later today and is reported to be preparing to meet the Storming committee that oversees the work of the Department of Culture, Art and Leisure to which Sport NI is responsible perhaps as early as tomorrow.
Sport NI is a key co-funder of a number of All Ireland bodies including the IRFU, GAA, Irish Hockey Association, Cricket Ireland and others.
