Bernard Dunne’s contract extension source of much rancour in IABA

Bernard Dunne

Sean McGoldrick

March 21 2021 02:30 AM

Four months ahead of the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics, Irish boxing is embroiled in another bitter boardroom controversy over a contract extension for Bernard Dunne, the Irish Athletic Boxing Association’s (IABA) high performance director.

After a month-long wrangle among the board of directors, it has been decided to offer Dunne a two-year deal which will expire 15 months ahead of the 2024 Olympics in Paris.

It is extremely unusual for the contract of a high performance director to end in the middle of an Olympic cycle. But such is the rancour at boardroom level within the IABA that this was the compromise adopted on a 4-3 vote.

Boxing is Ireland’s most successful Olympic sport with a haul of 16 medals, but since the departure of head coach Billy Walsh to the US six months ahead of the 2016 Olympics, the sport has been in decline.

Dunne was named as the new performance head in April 2017 after the debacle at the Rio Olympics, when, for the first time since the 2004 Games, Ireland failed to secure a boxing medal. His four-year contract would have incorporated Tokyo had it taken place last summer.

Dunne gave a presentation to the board early last month via Zoom due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Following his departure, it was proposed he be given a new four-year contract.

At least one director objected to a vote being taken immediately and asked for the issue to be deferred until the next meeting.

In the interim, the six key units which made up the bulk of the Association, the four provincial councils, together with the Dublin and Antrim County Board, consulted. Those attending the meeting thought they had reached an understanding that the five elected directors would back a proposal to offer Dunne a six-month extension of his current contract. This would leave him in charge until after Tokyo.

The board met again at the end of February at which a position paper on the high performance programme was circulated. It suggested the performance director be given a six-month rather than a four-year contract.

The circulation of the document caused uproar and served to widen divisions within the board. On paper, the five elected board members, which include the president of the IABA and one representative from each province, had sufficient votes to carry the proposal for the six-month contract extension. No vote was taken, however, and the meeting was adjourned.

Finally, the issue was voted on last Monday night, when a third proposal — a two-year contract — was voted through.

“As you will know, principles of good governance and board confidentiality prevent me or any member of the board of directors from commenting on the proceedings of meetings,” said IABA chief executive Fergal Carruth.

“I can, however, confirm that there was no board paper critical of the HP director, nor was there any threat of legal action.

“The board decided to offer Bernard Dunne a two-year contract extension to his role as high performance director. The decision was made on the basis that it is in the best interests of Irish boxing.”

When Dunne was appointed in 2017, the IABA said its aim was to ensure Ireland was in the top three countries in terms of the number of boxers competing in the 2020 Olympics with the ultimate goal of being the best boxing nation in the world.