Thousands of Special Olympics athletes and their families arriving for the games next year may be forced to undertake long bus journeys to Kerry and Cork, because only Dublin and Shannon airports are designated as official access points.
The matter has been highlighted by the South West Regional Authority, which says competitors for the Special Olympics and their families will not be using Kerry Airport or Cork Airport as official points of access.
The will cause hardship for the athletes and significant loss of revenue for Cork and Kerry airports, according to committee members.
The authority has refused to join the steering committee of the games as a result.
Altogether 22 towns in Cork and Kerry will host athletes and their supporters. About 600 athletes are expected in Kerry alone next June and they will bring an additional 1,500 or so family members, as well as a press contingent.
Ms Paula Desmond, a councillor and outgoing chair of the South West Regional Authority, described the situation as a "travesty" for persons with disability.
"It creates much hardship in terms of people with disabilities having to make long and completely unnecessary road journeys," she said.
Ms Annette McNamara, the new cathaoirleach of the authority, said there would be a big loss of revenue to the local economies in Cork and Kerry and a loss of local interaction.
But even more importantly, "there is the hardship and inconvenience", she said.
"The fact somebody with a disability will have to get into a bus and travel miles is terrible. Remember, many of these athletes will already have come half way around the world."
The South West Regional Authority has refused to send a delegate to serve on the steering committee of the Special Olympics Committee and has written to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism to have the matter addressed.
The overall steering committee of the special Olympics 2003 is this week to decide if the situation can be remedied, a national committee spokesman said.
The problem, according to a spokeswoman, centres on the hugely expensive accreditation machines.
There are only three available to them and the operators themselves are being brought in from the US, in what is a great deal of expense for the committee.
However, "the airports issue is top of the agenda and is being treated seriously", the spokeswoman said.