Squalls cause Olympic concerns

Rowing/World Junior Championships: A day with no activity at the World Junior Championships at Schinias, Greece, has caused the alarm bells to ring for those who run the sport.

The Ireland boys' four were due to go in their repêchage yesterday morning.

One suggested plan is that the repêchages be held today, effectively as semi-finals, with boats going directly to A, B and C finals.

The significance of all this stretches well beyond this important event: the World Junior Championships are a trial run for the Olympic Games at the same venue at this time next year.

And there is no obvious reason why the Olympic Games should expect to escape the same weather conditions, which, it seems, are not untypical in this area at this time of year.

FISA, the world governing body for rowing, may thus have a tricky year ahead, although according to Ireland's team manager, high performance director Richard Parr, they have done well over the last two days.

The authorities provided divers and safety personnel for the athletes on Wednesday. "Nobody was ever in danger," Parr said.

Ireland's elite lightweights still have their eyes set firmly on qualifying for Athens.

Trials are being held at their camp in Hazewinkel, Belgium, to finalise the team for this month's World Championships in Milan, where qualification places for the three Olympic lightweight events are available.

The team should be chosen by this weekend.

There will be no heavyweight representatives on the Ireland team for Milan, which has caused negative comment from those who championed the four that took bronze at the World Under-23 Championships last month.

Parr yesterday said his view was that while the four had done "a very, very good job" it was a huge step up to senior level and their record so far did not suggest they would be able to qualify a boat in Milan for the Olympics.

In addition, there were a number of other oarsmen who could claim they would make the boat move faster if given a chance.

Any suggestion that the four that competed at the World Under-23 Championships were promised selection for the senior championships if they took a medal were unfounded, Parr said.

The only commitment they were given was that if they had won gold they might have been part of the selection for a lightweight eight for Milan, he added.