Russia has made its primary focus efforts to turn around a junior programme in need of resources and restructuring and short on funds and adequate facilities and training conditions. In many pools across the country, no morning training is permitted while 95 of Moscow's 110 sports pools have no age-group programme - and that at a time when the school-age population in Russia is down 44% in the past 20 years. 

It will take at least a further 3 to 4 years before efforts can be converted to the first signs of better results in international waters.

That's the verdict of Dr Andrei Vorontsov, Russian head coach, who tells SwimNews today: "Our prime goal now: to change situation in age group and junior sport, but it may take another 3-4 years to achieve. We should work harder and we will do."

He was speaking the morning after the conclusion of Russian national championships in Moscow, where, he said "of course, the ban on high-tech swimsuits had its impact on results. Some swimmers 'suffered' more, others less ... but 99% are positive about the ban."

Sticking with the positive, Vorontsov noted the one national junior record, set by Anton Lobanov in the 200m breaststroke, in a heartening 2.11.46. At the other end of the spectrum of experience, Evgeny Korotyshkin's 51.70sec blast in the 100m butterfly was "impressive", said the head coach, while best times of 55.33 and 1.59.37 in the 100m and 200m free for teenager Veronika Popova offered hope.

Yulia Efimova's 30.69 and 1.06.66 (in semis) efforts in the 50m and 100m breaststroke gave a glimpse of where Russia can expect medals at the European Championships in Budapest but Vorontsov believed that the nationals did not give a full indication of what might unfold. 

"Let's wait until European Champs to see the entire picture," he said with a not to the likes of Arkady Vyatchanin, well below best in Moscow but on the team for Budapest nonetheless. Vyatchanin, the head coach explained, had eye surgery in February and had only started training just four weeks ago. As such, a 2:01 200m for 6th place was better than it looked.

"I was ready for him to miss the season, but he wants to be back sooner. And he is in the roster for Mare Nostrum tour and Euro Championships," said Vorontsov. Asked what he saw as the strength of the Russian programme he has headed for the past year, he said: "Our fighting spirit and professionalism of coaches."

And weaknesses? "Our main weakness is the lack of human resources. Now we are reaping the results of a demographic catastrophy the country endured in 1992-1996. The total number of children in Russian schools has decreased by 44 per cent. It's like after the war. The second thing is the decrease in the number of our swimming pools used for sport. In Moscow we have 110 pools, 95 of which have not a single age group programme. They work to make income in our city - for the billionaires. It is the same in the rest of the country.

"In many pools the time [allocated] for training sessions has been reduced to 90 minutes. In many other pools  all morning sessions have been cancelled. As results we have no middle- or long-distance programmes in the country ... only in one or two swimming centres."

  The best 400m free woman in Russia would have finished 12th in Britain, Vorontsov, who moved back to Russia after sa decade or so in Britain, mainly based at bath University. Among men, the picture was "a little better". The big name of Russia's distance programme for many year, Yuri Prilukov, did not make the grade for Budapest after having only returned to training three months ago following a period of reflection in which, the head coach noted, the freestyler pondered the question "to be or not to be" a swimmer.

 In Budapest, Russia will remain a constant challenger for medals in Europe but moves to ensure its long-term health will only produce green shoots the other side of London 2012, Vorontsov believes.