The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, has announced he intends to restore funding for swimming.
It was suspended following child sex-abuse scandals which caused an outcry about the way the sport was administered by Swim Ireland's predecessor, the Irish Amateur Swimming Association. Derry O'Rourke was convicted of sexually abusing young girls he coached and sentenced to 12 years' imprisonment last year. Dr McDaid's decision was influenced by the restructuring of Swim Ireland at its annual meeting in April, which included the abolition of voting rights for past presidents and honorary life members. The restructuring was seen as a deliberate move to sever links with the past. Just a month before the meeting, Dr McDaid had said during a Late Late Show interview that he did not consider the sport to be a safe environment for children because of the way it was administered. He also expressed dissatisfaction that the State was providing 85 per cent of the funding for the sport which tended to attract "well-heeled" participants.
Yesterday's decision clears the way for Swim Ireland to submit an application for funding to the new Sports Council.
