Last month, the news that double gold medal-winning distance runner Mo Farah missed two drugs tests in the years leading up to the 2012 Olympics has heaped more scrutiny on athletics.
In the same month, the GAA and Irish Sports Council imposed a two-year ban on Thomas Connolly, a Gaelic footballer from Monaghan who failed a doping test, although this was shorter than the standard four-year ban as the "anti-doping violation was not intentional".
Earlier this week, we spoke to Irish athlete, Kelly Proper, about the testing process and how she feels about the impact it has on athletes: "I feel when these stories come out it’s great because I just think the system is working. I know over the past couple of years, a lot of athletes are getting caught out but I would prefer to hear about it. At least then you know they’re getting caught. People are getting tested and they’re not getting away with it.
"You have to be so careful about what you take. Even going to the doctor, you could be prescribed certain medication that’s banned. Even though it may not be performance enhancing, if it’s on the banned substance list the athlete will fail a drugs test. Everyone just needs to be so careful taking any supplement or medication.
"After the indoor season, I was really ill and went to the doctor. It turned out it was only the flu so I couldn’t take anything for it. It just wasn't worth the risk. I’d only really take multivitamins. Any supplements I do take are from brands that individually test each batch.
"You’d have to have that piece of mind when you’re working so hard. The testing system is really good, you could be tested at any time so it’s just not worth the risk of not knowing what you’re putting into your own body because it’s our responsibility as athletes to know exactly what we’re taking.
"If you’re in a testing pool, you could get tested once or twice a month. Then in competition season, you could get tested at every competition depending on where you place and maybe if you've broken a record. Getting drug tested is just part of it and I think that sport is better for it.
"I’d much prefer it that way because you know people are getting tested, it’s out there and it’s all being made public. So for every one person that gets caught hopefully it's a deterrent for many many more sports people. You have to know something is being done about it and I think great progress is being made in cleaning up the sport."
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