Taoiseach Micheál Martin said he wants to see an inter-county championship take place in 2020, stressing that "it would be a symbol that the country is fighting this virus".
Speaking on Today with Claire Byrne on RTÉ Radio 1, Martin acknowledged the initial annoyance felt when all sport was placed behind closed doors when previously crowds of up to 200 had been allowed attend.
However, Martin indicated that the decision to go behind closed doors had 'saved' the championship and would also allow the competitions run by other sporting bodies to be run off in 2020.
The current restrictions are fixed until 13 September but unless Covid-19 case numbers decrease it is thought likely that they will be extended and the 2020 inter-county championship may have to proceed behind closed doors.
"In taking the decisions we did on the crowds, we saved the championships and the leagues. We want the championship to go ahead," Martin told Claire Byrne.
"I want an All-Ireland this year. Because I think it would be a symbol that the country is fighting this virus. That it's not going to surrender to it.
"Should we be getting more information" about decisions like holding sport behind closed doors?" @TodayRadioRTE asks.
— RTÉ News (@rtenews) August 24, 2020
"Sometimes when we say we need more information, we just don't like the decision," @MichealMartinTD says, adding mixing before and after events is the issue. pic.twitter.com/Gmwca94Bfp
"I'd love to see the championship completed. Like all games, League of Ireland, rugby. It's a challenge. But to me it speaks to us as a nation if we can organise our sports."
Martin insisted that CMO Ronan Glynn was a sports fan himself and had agreed to meet sporting organisations to explain the decision.
Last week the GAA had called on Glynn and NPHET to produce 'empirical evidence' for need to play sport behind closed doors, before presidentJohn Horan yesterday said he did not expect a meeting with the acting CMO.
Martin outlined that NPHET's decision was based on dangers of people congregating and mixing at matches.
"I'm an avid sports fan. When they came to me at the beginning of last week, last Monday night and when I was told NPHET were saying the 200 fans are gone from the pitches, I was saying 'oh my god'.
"My own sons were playing Gaelic football, I would love to go and see a match. That caused real anger across the country amongst sports people.
"I think we got that information from Ronan Glynn. Sometimes when we say we need more information, we just don't like the decision.
"And look I take the point, you’d say we were being told by public health if you being outdoors it’s better than being indoors. And I understand why people are correctly asking those questions.
"Ronan Glynn made it very clear to me that he felt the going to the match and the leaving of the match, people coming from different households, people congregating in 200s and mixing is the problem.
"So what the overall attempt here was let’s reduce the gathering of people in large numbers everywhere, particularly in households."
