Minister for Sport Jack Chambers is backing a swift return to full capacity sporting events ahead of the National League and Six Nations kick-offs.
Martin Murphy, who chairs the return of spectators working group that includes the FAI, GAA and IRFU, has claimed that a decision is needed by this weekend if full capacity can be achieved for Ireland's Six Nations opener against Wales on February 5.
Murphy, who is stadium director of the Aviva Stadium, fears a "logistical nightmare" if full crowds are not permitted in time of the championship clash.
Meanwhile GAA bosses are hoping that the 5,000 capacity limit for outdoor sporting events will be lifted by January 29, when the National Leagues get underway.
NPHET's meeting tomorrow will be critical in that regard but speaking on RTE News, Minister Chambers appeared fully supportive of the sporting bodies' plea to have capacities quickly restored to 100% - and not the sort of phased return that occurred in 2021.
"Certainly my aim and objective as Minister for Sport is ensure that we can get back to 100% capacity as soon as possible," he said.
"But I think if you look at the background to this, all the public health indicators are running in the right direction.
"We have got a big number of fixtures coming up - we have the Six Nations in February, the National Leagues starting at the end of January and the League of Ireland coming back in the middle of February as well.
"I know many fans across the country want to get back to seeing a full return to spectators. That's my aim, to do that as quickly as possible, and I think the public health position can allow for that very quickly.
"I think we're in a different position now than this time last year, or even indeed the early part of last summer when we had a phased return of spectators.
"That built confidence in that return, when we got to 100% in the autumn, and really we're just trying to restore what we had right before Christmas.
"With the strength of the vaccination rollout and the falling number of case numbers, all the epidemiological data points to a much quicker reopening.
"And from a sporting perspective I'd agree with and share the views of many of the sporting organisations, it's really just about restoring what we had prior to Christmas.
"We all want to see, whether it's supporting your club, your county or your country in the coming weeks, I think many people would welcome the return of spectators to get behind their team.
"There's reason to hope, the public with their great efforts can now look forward to a really positive spring where they can enjoy a sporting event, a cultural event or getting back into the hospitality sector very quickly."
Asked if major sporting events had been super-spreader events, Minister Chambers insisted the data that was frequently reviewed proved that wasn't the case.
"I think that's welcome because I know last summer there was concern certainly around certain sporting fixtures, around certain super-spreader events," he commented.
"But we have tried to build confidence in this from an Irish perspective, I think fans have come back to stadia in a safe way and we really want to make sure that when we get the full return of spectators that we get compliance around mask wearing, for example, and people upholding the basic public health measures.
"We'll see what the public health advice is from NPHET and we'll be able to give certainty to people very quickly after that.
"I think we're in a really positive space, all the data points to a lifting of restrictions. "
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly added: "We need to open up as quickly as we can and lift the burden off people, while at the same time not doing anything foolish and squandering our hard-won gains."
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