President of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) Pat Hickey yesterday contacted all Irish Olympic federations to counter the charges contained in a letter sent out last week by the Irish Sailing Association (ISA).

The ISA, with the support of canoeing, swimming and athletics bodies were seeking support from all 27 national federations for change within the OCI. It is expected that sailing's Richard Burrows will run against Hickey for the office of president of the body.

Hickey, who is seeking a final four-year term as president at the Council's a.g.m. next month, issued a fax to all Irish Olympic federations on Monday. In it, he claims that those federations who support the campaign for change would create a two-tier Olympic Council. Hickey says that he has been contacted by unnamed federations expressing concern over last week's letter and asserts that those who oppose him will create a winners and losers scenario and an OCI which is not independent.

"Sports that contacted me were concerned with the suggested development of a `balanced approach in support of an established Olympic Sport, and those Olympic sports which do not consistently compete in an Olympic Games,"' he says.

"It is apparent from this that it is this group's intention to create a two-tier Olympic Council, one for the sports named above in the group and a second tier for other sports".

On the subject of voting arrangements on the OCI, the letter also states that the statutes of the OCI were drawn up by member federations and the rules "we operate under at the moment are the rules created by its members".

Attacking both swimming and athletics, the letter addresses the issue of Olympic qualification and states: "The reason that some sports do not make it to the Olympic Games is because of the brutal qualification system which they have to face, unlike two of the sports within the group who do not have to face qualifying competitions but need only to reach a standard with the most generous quota of places available in the Olympic Games."

Hickey also answers criticism of his dealings with government agencies, notably the Irish Sports Council (ISC), the National Coaching and Training Centre and Sports Minister, Dr Jim McDaid, with whom the OCI have a poor relationship. He points out that funding from the ISC is "regrettably something over which we have no control".

He further maintains that the OCI have already signed an advance sponsorship agreement for the Athens games amounting to $1.3 million and are also well advanced in creating a board of patrons consisting of leading business people. The campaign against him, he asserts, "strikes at the very heart of the independence of the OCI".

A spokesperson for the group for change yesterday dismissed the charges.

"We are delighted with him (Hickey) putting pen to paper. Our agenda is open and is simply to effect change. We are very encouraged and the feedback we have received has been very good. The one common factor that we are hearing is that change is a good thing. This would be Pat's fourth term as president," he said.

"It is not about them and us. It is about federations and athletes. With regard to voting and OCI statutes, the federations for change are taking legal advice on the issue. We do not accept his comments. We believe his comments are incorrect."

After the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Hickey was successfully re-elected as OCI president. Nominations for positions in the OCI must be in before close of business on January 17th.