Michelle de Bruin's announcement yesterday that her swimming career was over, brings to a conclusion one of the most bitterly contested issues in Irish sporting history. Although still proclaiming her innocence of all charges levelled against her, a tersely worded statement by the triple Olympic champion was an ignominious way to end a career which has been blighted by rumours since the Atlanta Games.
While she will be allowed to keep her Olympic medals from Atlanta, her gold will remain forever devalued in the public mind. Many of those who have believed her protestations of innocence have been forced to change their minds. Others, more loyal to their heroine, find their doubts about her performances have increased.
Along with the image of Michelle de Bruin, the decision from Lausanne has shattered the innocence of the Irish sporting public. Those who stayed awake into the early hours three years ago, will look back with suspicion on the simple joy they experienced as the flag of this State was hoisted and its anthem played.
In small countries this type of success does not happen often. The pride it engenders is a rare commodity indeed. For this pride to be shattered now is something many will find difficult to accept.
Some people have resorted to a conspiracy theory which envisaged an embittered United States acting jealously and with spite to the victory of a small state's representative against its own star-spangled team. There is no evidence whatsoever to support these conspiracy claims. In fact, when many of these allegations were made in Atlanta, one of the first to come to de Bruin's defence was President Clinton.
The tribunal in Lausanne was made up of a Canadian, an Englishman and a Swiss, none of whom could be accused of pro-American sporting bias in judging on the adulteration of Ms de Bruin's urine sample. These three lawyers have found themselves convinced by FINA that Michelle de Bruin was "the only person who had the motive and opportunity to manipulate the sample."
Coming to terms with this decision will mark a turning point for supporters and participants in Irish sport. Athletes from small countries, in which genuine pleasure is taken from rare sporting success, are as open to temptation as those from larger states in which sporting achievement is regarded as mirroring a supposed national superiority.
Cheating, through the taking of performance-enhancing drugs, has become prevalent in many sports, often in direct ratio to the amount of money that success can bring. In this State the image of swimming has suffered far more than that of any other sport following the scandal of sexual abuse by adults against children placed in their care. The Lausanne decision will lower the prestige of the sport even further.