CANOE slalom's future as an Olympic sport will receive the backing of the International Canoe Federation today as their congress opens in Paris amid unconfirmed reports that the organisers of Sydney 2000 are ready to drop the event from the games.
Congress delegates are to demand a definitive statement from Australia's Olympic Council after a week of rumours emanating from Sydney that have suggested that the slalom may be too costly to stage. Although both Tasmania and New Zealand possess natural wildwater sites, the Australians' commitment to a Sydney based - games means that a completely artificial course will have to be built - at a cost well in excess of this year's $4 million Olympic course in Ocoee, Tennessee.
The ICF president, Sergio Orsi, has held talks with both the organising committee in Australia and IOC officials in Switzerland in an attempt to clarify the situation and will be discussing options with the national federations this weekend. Pressure is already mounting from Czech, German and French quarters with the proposal that they will fund construction themselves if the Australians come out against the slalom course on December 5th.
The Irish Canoe Union's delegate in Paris, Ike Jacob, has been in close contact with the chairman of the International Slalom and Wild Water Commission throughout the week and believes that the situation is far from clear cut. "The timing of the announcement before the congress might have been meant to concentrate minds on getting the canoeing sorted out and it would be a blow if slalom was taken out because it has been a very good, showcase for the sport.
The canoe slalom made its Olympic debut at the 1970 Munich games and was reinstated for Barcelona where Ireland's Ian Wiley came close to medal success.
Four Irish slalom competitors" took part in the last Olympics with Wiley finishing in fifth place. "Everyone is pretty vague about what is going on," the current European champion said yesterday, "but it seems that the Australians are reneging on what they, put in the bid for the Olympics and yet they have a course in Tasmania that is up there in the top two or three that I've raced in the world."
