Last week's international swimming competition in Sheffield yielded, according to Nick O'Hare (pictured left), the worst set of Irish performances he has ever been involved in. None of the Irish swimmers were able to set a personal best time.

O'Hare's admission comes, as everyone knows, in the worst year in the history of Irish swimming during which the Minister for Sport, Dr Jim McDaid, withheld all funding and the organisation was thrown into disarray.

To illustrate how disorganised the whole system has now become, sprinter O'Hare arrived at Manchester Airport but nobody knew he was arriving. He then waited an hour and a half for a train to Sheffield before arriving at the hotel only to be told there was no room available. Tough times for our international swimmers.