A controversy which has been bubbling in Irish rowing has been blown to the surface by sculling coach Mick Desmond, who is with the Irish team in Lucerne for this weekend's final World Cup regatta.

Desmond maintains that qualification criteria for boats going to this year's World Championships in Canada in August should be strictly applied, and that to make special cases now would be wrong and a "political" decision.

The comments are controversial because it is widely thought that the Irish Amateur Rowing Union may send the national lightweight four to the World Championships to try to qualify them for the Olympic Games - despite the fact that the four have not been able to go to Lucerne due to injury and did not compete in one other World Cup regatta (Hazewinkel) and had to pull out of the other (Vienna) because one of the crew had to return home.

"The danger is that if you make a political decision for one crew you open the floodgates for other crews," says Desmond. The criteria say that an Olympic boat, like the four, must be on course to take a place in Canada which would gain it automatic qualification for the Olympics - in this case this would mean a top-10 placing.

But what of a problem with injury? "You should not find yourself in a situation where you have to drop a crew because you have not not enough for the boat," he said. Desmond backs up the point by saying that if the lightweight double scull he coaches cannot make the top 11 (the relevant figure) in Lucerne they should not go to Canada.

John Holland, who has coached the four with some success, says it is up to National Coach Thor Nilson to make decisions on selection. He has long believed that having only four athletes involved in the crew was "playing Russian Roulette", but while he would have welcomed more participants no provision was made for this is in the squad system.

The controversy should certainly spice up the weekend's action in Lucerne for the Irish. There may be a special focus on the two women's double sculls, who are being coached by former World Championship silver medallist Sean Drea.

Final selection for Canada will be made by the executive of the rowing union. Interestingly the union has already organised to send three craft, a four and two lightweight double sculls (one for women) from Lucerne to Canada, although it is stressed that this implies no commitment to crews, or even participation in these disciplines.