This week's Government review of the Sydney Olympic games said it is in the best interests of the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) to radically change, give equal voting rights to Irish sports federations, scrap the uniquely empowered 10vote executive committee and get along with the Irish Sports Council (the body which commissioned the report).

On the last page of the report, appendix 6, the study shows that in 1997 the OCI received £89,000 in government funding; in 1998 it was given £119,447 before an increase in 1999 to £161,295. Last year in the run-up to the Olympics the OCI was given £384,400 of tax payers money. Over four years it has received £753,695 from the Government, which then spent £20,000 on hammering them in the review. What's going on?