The Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation, Dr McDaid, is unlikely to restore funding to the Irish Amateur Swimming Association (IASA) in the short to medium term, senior Government sources have said.
Dr McDaid suspended annual funding of about £230,000 in January, following the imprisonment for 12 years of the former national swimming coach, Derry O'Rourke, for sexually abusing young girls he was coaching.
The Minister will not restore funding until he is "absolutely assured" about all IASA's arrangements put in place to protect young swimmers, sources said last night.
He wants to be assured that the association's "grass roots" are happy with the new safety structures, but sources said he did not think the IASA's pace of restructuring was adequate. Dr McDaid was not available for comment.
The Minister has received a summary of the outcome of the association's e.g.m. at the weekend to finalise the principles under which it will be restructured following the Murphy inquiry into child abuse in the sport. The IASA is to give Dr McDaid a full report early next week.
At its e.g.m. the IASA outlined the second phase of its restructuring and later said a lot of work remained to be done.
The association said it needed time to help clubs to understand how the new body would operate and how their members would be affected.
Because of the position about State funding, the Irish Olympic Committee had to fund the elite swimmers last month for competitions leading to next summer's European Championships.
The July e.g.m. rejected resignation offers from the three officers. They were elected in April and were not IASA officers during the period covered by the Murphy inquiry.
The e.g.m. said the officers were elected to resolve the crisis and should continue to complete the process.
"To resign at this point would leave a huge power vacuum that would seriously hamper the association's efforts to respond appropriately to the inquiry report," the association said.