Recession won’t affect athletes, say HP directors

SENIOR Irish sports officials insist preparations for the London Olympics have not been damaged by the economic downturn.

Though Government and Irish Sports Council (ISC) funding have remained relatively untouched since the Beijing Games, sponsorship opportunities have dramatically diminished. Top officials from three aquatic based sports yesterday stressed that they were cutting their cloth to measure when preparing their competitors.

High Performance Directors from rowing, sailing and swimming yesterday put a brave – and united – face on the situation at a press conference in Dublin.