Members of Ireland' elite national swimming squad are to be asked to pay their own way to Sheffield for the European sprint championships in December (11 -13). as a result of withdrawal of government funding for the sport.

Nick O'Hare along with Hugh and Adrian O'Connor of New Ross, Chantal Gibney, Colin Lowth and Lee Kelleher are expected to make up a small Ireland team.

"You're going away to represent your country and they are making you pay your own way because the government won't give you any funding. The whole thing is ridiculous," said O'Hare.

Because the championships are short course at the fast Ponds Forge international pool, the Irish competitors would be more than hopeful of producing best performances.

Olympian sprinter O'Hare has had to turn down prestigious offers to train full-time with the celebrated US coach Pierre la Fontane in Phoenix, Arizona. The Irish champion sprinter has also shelved another offer to train in Hamburg under the guidance of top German coach Dirk Lange.

"Both coaches have intimated to me that I could be among the top eight sprint competitors in the World by the time of the Sydney Olympics if my ability was channelled correctly. I would be training with crack German, Sandra Volka, in Hamburg. I am really frustrated by it all. Sydney is still my goal but, if I run out of money I will have to get a job and if I get a job I will not be able to train.

"I will probably survive until Christmas, but if nothing is done by then I will really have to consider my position."

The Dubliner is disillusioned with "the minister's approach" in all of this. He still hasn't met us, the swimmers, or hasn't made the effort to contact us."