John O'Donoghue (Kerry South, Fianna Fail)

There is no difficulty in publishing the report. The development of high performance athletes requires a long-term approach. There is no point in believing it can be done overnight. Research indicates it takes ten years of training to develop an elite athlete. It must be remembered that the Irish Sports Council's high performance strategy was only published in 2002. Our strategy is a long-term one. I do not want this misinterpreted, as it was before, to mean that Ireland will not win an Olympic medal for the next 16 years. If we are to make a meaningful input into the development of our sportsmen and women, it will take time.

The timescale involved is at least ten years. If we are to have success across a range of disciplines on a consistent basis, we need to implement the high performance athletes strategy. This includes the international carding scheme and enhancement programmes. I hope we will see further developments on an infrastructural level, in particular in the sports medicine context. The strategy being pursued is the correct one and will yield results. In the interim, we may have success of a more sporadic nature. However, the plan in place is a good one.

For example, New Zealand, a country of a similar size to Ireland, embarked on a strategy 20 years ago to ensure that it had a good yield at major international sporting events such as the Olympics. It has happened on a consistent basis for New Zealand since then. I aim to ensure that Ireland does the same. Whoever succeeds me in this position will seek to do likewise.

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