The Government's decision to ask athletes from five SARS-affected countries not to travel to Ireland for the Special Olympics was last night criticised by the World Health Organisation which said the move was not consistent with its latest guidelines for large-attendance events.
The announcement by the Minister for Health was also criticised by the Washington-based organisers of the Special Olympics, who "implored" Mr Martin to reverse his decision not to invite athletes from certain countries to travel to Dublin next month.
Expressing "profound regret" at the decision, the Special Olympics headquarters told The Irish Times that the health and safety of all of its athletes was "always" its first concern.
"We are nevertheless troubled by the severity and narrow scope of this proposed restriction, and we implore those responsible to consider the unfortunate implication that any ban such as this invites," a statement said.
Acting on medical experts' advice, Mr Martin yesterday asked athletes and assistants from China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and the Philippines not to travel to the Games. However, the Minister said they could yet do so if the WHO removed these countries from its list of infected nations 10 days before the event began. However, last night the WHO's SARS spokesman, Mr Dick Thompson, said the decision went against the body's latest guidelines.
"We understand that governments have to make their own assessments based on individual risks and resources. The decision today is not consistent with these guidelines."
He said the WHO believed that people coming from areas where there was local transmission of SARS, if they were symptom-free and hadn't been in close contact with SARS patients, should "be welcomed without any other measures".
Defending his decision, Mr Martin said the communal nature of the Games over a period of weeks made it "very distinctive" and merited the utmost caution in assessing public healthcare implications.
Special Olympics athletes were different from ordinary travellers because they would be in close contact with each other and locals and because they had special healthcare needs, he added.
The Dublin-based organising committee of the Games, which will attract 7,000 people between June 16th-29th, reacted with anger at the news, saying the decision was "inconsistent". Organiser Ms Mary Davis described it as discriminatory and asked why other people from SARS-infected areas coming to Ireland were not restricted.
The Department of Health's chief medical officer, Dr Jim Kiely, said all options, including quarantine, had been examined to see if the athletes could be invited to travel.
The Labour Party said the move was a shameful act of "blatant political opportunism", though Fine Gael said it was probably the correct one "for the sake of the Games". Labour TD Ms Breeda Moynihan-Cronin pointed out that other visitors from infected countries were welcome to come to Ireland.
However, Fine Gael TD, Ms Olivia Mitchell said: "To be honest I'm not surprised that his has happened. I think it's a tragedy for the teams concerned but for the other teams it's a necessary precaution." Minister defends decision on Games.