German head coach Orjan Madsen has urged his swimmers and coaches to show more courage as he faces the European championships with a depleted squad and absentees preoccupied with Olympic selection.

Germany, the most successful nation in European championships dating back to 1926, have come to Eindhoven with just nine swimmers and with the last defending champion still among them a doubtful starter.

"It would be good if we had more courage to stand up and be counted," Madsen said. "Too many coaches and athletes are fearful and do not want to stand up. It is a fundamental problem."

France too have been depleted for the main pool events starting on Tuesday, though theirs is an internal disciplinary affair.

Reigning 200 metres backstroke champion Esther Baron and 400 and 1500 freestyle bronze medallist Nicolas Rostoucher are among swimmers coached by Philippe Lucas -- ex-coach of Olympic champion Laure Manaudou -- barred from the championships by French Federation technical director Claude Fauquet for not attending a recent training camp in Dunkirk.

For the Germans, Janine Pietsch, who won the women's 50 metres backstroke at the last edition of the championships in Budapest in 2006, pulled out last week with bronchitis.

Madsen said Helge Meeuw *pictured) was suffering from sinusitis and might miss his 50 backstroke title defence, although he should be fit for events later in the championships.

Britta Steffen, who broke the women's 100 freestyle world record at the 2006 championships and also won the 50 freestyle, has been suffering from shoulder problems and is not competing in Eindhoven.

Another non-starter is Annika Lurz, 200 freestyle silver medallist and Steffen's team-mate in the world record breaking 4x100 and 4x200 freestyle relays from 2006. Germany will contest only one of the six relays in Eindhoven.

Swimmers and coaches have their eyes on next month's German national championships which will decide the team for August's Beijing Olympics and are worried they might be distracted by the European event.

Madsen said that despite every understanding for their predicament, the unfortunate timing and the priority of the Olympics, they were passing up a chance to toughen up for competition.

It was not essential to be in top preparation to compete at these championships and swimmers needed to make the most of the relatively few opportunities for international competition.

"Fundamental changes are needed in German swimming if we are to progress," he said.

Madsen said in some cases there had been "scarcely a millimetre" of progress in the past two years. Last year's world championships in Melbourne marked setbacks for the Germans after the triumphs of Budapest.

The past, in the form of state-sponsored doping in former East Germany, weighs heavily on Germany and the exploits of Steffen and company in Budapest revived some old suspicions, strongly denied by the swimmers.

"We all know no matter what we do, the moment we swim fast...(they will ask) `is this really legitimate? Are they doing something illegal?'

"I think that is something we have to live with. The only way we can work against it is by being proactive." Madsen said, alluding to dope control tests.

Madsen introduced a blood-profiling system in German swimming and he called on Monday for the International Swimming Federation (FINA), the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) and Germany's National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) to allocate more money to support such intiatives.

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Reuters