In the latest name foul-up for the Minister for Sport, Shane Ross issued a press release this morning pledging to increase the funding currently available for Irish Rowers, as well as vowing to increase individual player supports for several elite athletes, including the ‘Medal-winning rower’ Gary Hutch.
In what has become an alarmingly regular occurrence for the Minister, Gary Hutch is not actually an elite rower. Rather, he is a notorious Dublin gangster whose horrific murder started the current Kinahan-Hutch feud. Mr Hutch had never rowed competitively before his untimely demise, and never had any involvement with the Irish rowing scene, leading to confusion among the athletes.
Current speculation indicates that the Minister did not in fact intend to increase funding for the dead gangster, but rather to allocate a percentage of his increased budget to an actual athlete. According to Paddy Power Betfair, the leading athletes speculated to be the intended recipients are Gary O’Donovan, the rower who recently medalled at the European championships (5 to 1), Dave Kearney, the Irish rugby player who the Minister has a tendency to confuse athletes with (10 to 1), or the Kinehan Gang (2 to 1).
This is just the latest gaff that has many in Leinster House wondering if Minister Ross has any interest in sport, aside from funding hockey pitches at private schools in his constituency.
By Shane Clune – Turbine Editor
