Swimming: For the record. CJD is mad cow disease. CSID is the state company that owns the National Aquatic Centre (NAC) in Dublin. The two shouldn't be confused despite the recent and rather discomfiting history of the most controversial sports project in the country.

Now that the High Court has made an order for the possession of the €62 million property to revert to CSID, despite CSID awarding Dublin Waterworld Ltd a 30-year lease three years ago, the top-class swimming centre still cannot facilitate the needs of Irish and Leinster swimmers.

For over five weeks now the Leinster squad, who this weekend travel to the University of Limerick (UL) for the Dave McCullagh meeting in UL's 50-metre pool, have been unable to use the 50-metre pool in the NAC.

Because of the inherent technical reasons and the unavailability of anyone in the NAC to explain exactly what is going on, reasons are confused as to why the 50-metre pool continues to operate only as a 25-metre pool.

But the bottom line is that at this moment there is no 50-metre pool in the NAC complex. Leinster swimmers, who were told when the complex was opened they would be offered top-class international facilities that any country in the world would be proud of, have been training in a 25-metre pool. Swimming people will tell you that is not good preparation for a 50-metre gala.

The reason is that the pool is stuck at 25 metres. It's a bit like being struck in first gear in a car. Can't really go anywhere. Not much use if you are in a race. As the end walls of the pool are moved in and out to lengthen and shorten the pool, so the pool is jammed. Unable to move. Stuck there at 25 metres. For over five weeks.

"That's right, it's not in operation. But we have specialists in looking at it right at this moment," said a helpful employee at the centre.

What the swimmers are saying is that it is going to cost €12,000 to fix the part that is jammed, which they call the "bone" and that nobody is prepared to fork out the cash to do so while the High Court is involved and while allegations of €11 million in unpaid rent are flying around.

"Teams have arrived from Belfast and Galway and found that it is only 25 metres, which is what they had at home. The branch is trying to facilitate but the only other 50-metre pool in Dublin is Westwood and they don't have the hours that the swimmers would need. No one has been able to prepare properly."

There are about 40 swimmers in Leinster affected by the "technical hitch" that prevents the 25-metre caterpillar pupating into the 50-metre butterfly. And, as has been the case throughout much of the life of the facility in which Ireland should be proud, the swimmers are again losing out.