IRISH SPORTS COUNCIL ANTI-DOPING UNIT'S ANNUAL REPORT:THE IRISH Sports Council (ISC) have expressed "surprise" and "disappointment" that Olympic-qualified swimmer Andrew Bree tested positive for a banned substance at last December's European Short Course Championships in Hungary.

Speaking yesterday at the presentation of their annual report, the manager of the ISC anti-doping programme, Dr Una May, pointed out that every athlete under the auspices of the ISC had received a wallet card with Vicks decongestant clearly labelled as a potential hazard, one that demanded caution. Bree tested positive for levomethamphetamine, a banned product, which he has said came from using the US version of the Vicks product.

The ISC also said the Belfast breaststroke champion has had his funding stopped until the matter is resolved to their satisfaction. Bree, who is on scholarship in Tennessee and holds the Irish record for the 200 metres breaststroke, was awarded €12,000 in February by the ISC as an International category athlete.

"In general I would be surprised that an elite athlete has made a mistake," said Dr May. "I suppose I would be disappointed. We do provide athletes with as much information as is possible. Elite athletes should be aware at this stage. For the last number of years it has been included on our card."

A feeling of dismay over the high-profile positive result permeated yesterday's meeting, and the credit card-sized warning was handed out. It included the Vicks product name prominently displayed with a note telling athletes to exercise particular caution with the product, as the US and European versions differed.

Aside from the withdrawal of his funding, the ISC have distanced themselves from the Bree case, saying it is an issue the governing body of swimming, Fina, must sort out with the swimmer.

ISC chief executive John Treacy said Swim Ireland have not indicated whether Bree would ask for his B sample to be tested, but that he "got a sense that the case would be heard pretty quickly".

That information suggests the B sample, which could take up to three weeks to go to a laboratory and come back, will not be tested, but that the swimmer will claim he inadvertently took the banned substance and leave himself at the mercy of Fina. A short ban would allow him to compete in Beijing, which begins in August.

"We have no role in this whatsoever," said Treacy. "This is an issue with Fina. But it will affect his funding. We will withhold all his funding until this issue is cleared up. That would be the 2008 funding."

The ISC also announced they recorded three positive findings for last year from 1,135 tests. There were also two positive results so far from tests carried out this year.

Last year's positives came in rugby, cycling and martial arts. The rugby test revealed cannabinoids and the unnamed player was given a warning. He remained unnamed because of particular circumstances presented to the disciplinary panel, who felt it was inappropriate to place his name in the public domain.

The cycling test revealed an anabolic agent and required further investigation, while the martial artist was sanctioned for one year.

It is at the discretion of the federation to name him or her.

This year's positive results arose in rugby and rowing. The rower, who is a minor and is not named, tested positive for cannabinoids and received a three-week suspension, while the rugby player, Terenure's Mark Mahony, failed to fill in a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) form and tested positive for terbutaline, a common asthma medication. He received a severe reprimand, but no ban.

"Mr Mahony failed to renew a previous therapeutic use exemption (TUE) upon its expiry and was sanctioned with a reprimand and warned of the serious nature of not keeping his TUE in order," said the ISC.

In all, 37 sports were tested in 2007, with 60 per cent of those taking place out of competition. Of the total, 886 tests were carried out under the national programme, with 249 tests paid for by various sports federations.

Rugby was by far and away the sport that tested its players at its own cost most often, with over 200 tests carried out between the IRB, IRFU and Six Nations.

The testing programme in 2008 will include every athlete who may represent Ireland in the Beijing Olympic and Paralympic Games.