The High Court has heard a judo club in Co. Cork is challenging its suspension by the sport's governing body over comments on its Facebook page.
Critical remarks were posted after one of the members in the Muskerry Judo Club was overlooked to represent Ireland at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro last month.
Lloyd Manning is described as the 'only male fulltime Irish judo player' who 'has a world grading higher than anyone else in the country within his grade'.
On August 14th the club Secretary Ciara Manning posted a comment on the club's Facebook page questioning why the Irish Judo Association are sending numbers 2 and 3 to Rio.
There were several follow-up comments on the public forum criticising Lloyd's omission. One called it a 'pure joke...two of them have never beaten number one once not even in training'.
Around September 24th the club received a letter from the Irish Judo Association stating that it was being suspended from all judo activities for 6 months because the Facebook comments were 'against the spirit of Judo and contrary to the ethos of the sport'.
The club was told the suspension followed a meeting of the Association's Executive Committee on Saturday, September 21st.
Comments 'as a result of frustration'
The club Secretary Ciara Manning wrote back requesting an explanation as to what procedures had been adopted and why the club had not been given an opportunity to be present at the meeting. She said the Facebook comments were 'as a result of frustration' and requested that the suspension be lifted.
The court heard the Irish Judo Association informed clubs, members and coaches of the club's suspension in which the Facebook comments were described as 'unwarranted, misconceived, malicious'.
The Muskerry Judo Club has brought legal proceedings aimed at quashing the suspension, arguing that the online remarks were fair comment and that the sanction was imposed without a fair hearing.
The club was started in 2011 and has 70 members of both sexes and all ages who train out of a national school in Macroom.
Today's application for a judicial review of the suspension was made on an ex-parte (one side only) basis. The case will return to court on this day week when both sides will have an opportunity to be heard.
