Mr. Pat Hickey:

Most of the questions are addressed to the Irish Sports Council so I will answer the ones for me and leave the rest to my colleagues. Deputy Phelan's question is definitely for the sports council.

Senator Mooney spoke about sacrifices at all levels and about minority sports. Everybody knows I have been speaking on the minority sports theme for 20 years. We must identify the sports in which we can win medals and in which there is the least competition at the Olympic Games. That is how one wins medals. I have been advocating for years that we should be considering judo, wrestling and modern pentathlon. That is starting to happen. The results in modern pentathlon and judo in London were superb, and the Sports Council now has the same thinking as us on that. On the boxing, that is to do with contractual relationships with the Irish Sports Council.

Deputy Harrington spoke strongly about the need for public scrutiny once taxpayers' money is involved. It is important for everybody here to know that there are only two volunteers in this room, myself and William O'Brien. We do not receive any salary from the OCI, the taxpayer or any other source. We are volunteers, as is every member of the Olympic Council of Ireland, and we do not take a cent of taxpayers' money for salaries or the like. It is important that the committee knows that.