The Irish Amateur Boxing Association (IABA) has reportedly controversially appointed Dominic O'Rourke, who has been the sport's President since 2000, as its new high performance director ahead of Billy Walsh, had been effectively doing the job for 20 months.

The Irish Sports Council (ISC) has warned the IABA that it will not help fund the salaries of O'Rourke nor its new chief executive, Don Stewart.

The ISC wrote to the IABA last week informing them of the decision because of "unhappiness with the procedures used".

It now creates a situation in which the ISC  will continue to fund boxing's high performance programme to the tune of almost €1.2 million (£1 million/$1.6 million) this year but has, effectively, distanced itself from two of the key positions involved in the running of that programme.

Boxing's high performance programme has received more than €7 million (£6 million/$9.5 million) in ISC grants since its inception under Gary Keegan in 2002 and has significantly out-performed all other funded sports since Ken Egan, Barnes and the late Darren Sutherland returned from the Beijing Olympics with three medals.

Walsh has essentially run the programme since Keegan moved to the Institute of Sport immediately after Beijing, but has now been replaced by O'Rourke, who has been a successful coach at St Michael's Athy BC, which has produced has produced Olympic stars such as John Joe Joyce, and international champions such as Eric Donovan and Christy Joyce.

Since Beijing, under Walsh, Ireland's amateur boxers have forged a path of unprecedented success across the globe.

In 2008, they won three bronze medals at the European Championships in Liverpool; Ray Moylette was crowned world youth champion in Mexico; Katie Taylor (pictured) won her second world title in China and was subsequently named AIBA World Female Boxer of the Year.

In 2009, Joe Ward won a world youth title in Armenia; Jason Quigley took European Youths gold in Poland; a nine-man Irish team went to the European Union Championships in Denmark and came home with nine medals, three of each colour.

Ireland won the Team of the Tournament award.

The last time an Irish team at any level failed to medal was at the 2007 World Championships.

Walsh is due to take a 10-strong team to Warsaw next Tuesday for a multi-nations tournament that will be their last competitive outing before June's European Championships in Moscow.

Officials at the IABA were not available for comment, but an announcement is expected to be made in the coming days.