Lewers cleared for early GB switch

Former Irish international Iain Lewers will be able to begin his new career with Great Britain six weeks ahead of schedule, it has emerged. The Irish Hockey Association’s appeal commission has confirmed they have approved Lewers’ application for early release from his international “wilderness” period. Belfast native Lewers, 27, stunned Irish hockey in July 2008 when withdrawing himself from the national side here to make himself eligible for Great Britain in time for the 2012 Olympics.

Former Instonians man Mark Gleghorne is also eligible to play for Great Britain having completed his quarantine period this month in February of this year — three years after his last appearance in a green shirt at the 2008 Olympic qualifiers. Lewers claimed he owed Irish hockey nothing after winning 82 caps, citing a belief that Ireland could not offer him a route to achieve his Olympic goals due to major flaws in top-level structures here. Under the International Hockey Federation (FIH)’s three-year quarantine rule, Lewers was ineligible to play international hockey for his adopted nation of England, or for GB, until July 2011. However, the IHA has confirmed they are happy for him to end this period six weeks early on May 1 —  pending FIH approval — allowing him to play in the Sultan Azlan Shah tournament in Malaysia a couple of days later. The IHA statement read as follows: “Following a decision by the IHA, a legal reference to the FIH and a referral of a dispute to JSI arbitration, and by the decision of IHA Appeals Commission, Mr Iain Lewers application for early release from the three year quarantine period as set out in bylaw 5.2 of the FIH Statutes (regarding athlete transfer from one country to another) has been accepted. “The Appeals Commission have confirmed that from the 1^st May 2011 Iain Lewers will be free to play for Team GB in a tournament which is due to take place in Malaysia from May 5-11 2011. “The Appeals Commission recognises that this is a release from the three year quarantine period with less than six weeks to run and have emphasised the particular circumstances and peculiar facts of Mr Lewers application. “Both parties accept that due process has taken place. This request for early release will now be sent to the FIH executive board for their approval.”