The report, carried out by British company Genesis, was commissioned by the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) and was separate to one conducted by the Sport Council.

 

The report claimed here was a lack of direction in Irish sport ahead of London 2012 and an absence of unity between the relevant organisations ahead of what should be perceived as a "home" Games.

 

It criticised the Irish Sports Council’s (ISC) failure to implement the high performance strategy set out in 2001 and urged the identification of "super effective sports" with medal winning potential.

 

The report was overseen by Genesis managing director Alistair Gray, a founding member of the Scottish Institute for Sport and now the chairman of British Swimming.

 

He found the OCI was “excluded” from planning process for the four years prior to the Beijing Games and says the practice was in “marked contrast” to British model in which the “British Olympic Association and the Olympic sports work in genuine partnership”.

 

The report said: “All parties should ensure that an effective partnership be established, once and for all, for the benefit of Irish athletes."

 

The report did find common ground with the recently-published ISC review, agreeing that the role of Irish Institute of Sport (IIS) remains ambiguous and claiming its influence ahead of and during the Beijing Games was “not apparent”.

 

Gray said: "Eight years on, neither in spirit nor reality, does a partnership exist.

 

"Effectively, organisations are excluding each other from their own reviews and this cannot be right in terms of putting together a performance support for athletes."

 

Patrick Hickey, the president of the OCI, said: "We were excluded totally in the four years before Beijing in planning, consultation, carding system, everything.

 

"There seems to be some inordinate fear of the OCI, I don't know why.

 

"It started in 1996 when the Sports Council was created and they tried to subsume us.

 

"But our wish is to get on with things and I and the OCI are prepared to bend over backwards to have things right for London."

 

The report added there is a “lack of direction and ambition” in many sports despite financial support.

 

It compared Irelands performances over the last six Olympiads to nations such as New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, Croatia, Slovenia and Slovakia.

 

Since 1984, Ireland has averaged less than two medals [10 in total] per Games.

 

Four of those were won by Michelle Smith in Atlanta 1996, who was then subsequently suspended for two years for tampering with a urine sample, and five were won in boxing.

 

At the top of the table, New Zealand has won 47 medals in the same period.

 

Slovenia, Lithuania and Croatia have only been competing as nations since Barcelona 1992 but have won 15, 16 and 17 respectively.

 

Slovakia has won 20 since 1996.

 

In 2008, Ireland took the fewest athletes to Beijing and won medals in just one sport, boxing, where they won a silver thanks to Kenny Egan (pictured) and two bronze.

 

Each of the other eight medalled in at least three, with Norway successful in seven and Denmark in six.

 

The comparisons are based on population and financial backing for athletes.

 

Gray said there was a failure of ambition and planning outside boxing.

 

The report strongly states that no relationship exists in either spirit or in reality between the groups charged with sending Irish athletes to the Olympics.

 

In a ten-point recommendation, the report claims that partnership should be planned by the Sports Minister Martin Cullen, and that to improve planning the current secret bureaucracy should be removed.

 

The report also says that Ireland should be a destination of choice for great coaches and that many of those selected in the past have not demonstrated a track record of sustained success in world-class competition.