The build-up to next week's World Championships in France has been beset by injuries and illness for Ireland's hopefuls. But while the last-minute withdrawal of the lightweight coxless four seemed to be a fitting final comment on a hapless campaign, Ireland's most credible medal prospects, the lightweight quad scullers, claim that the biggest obstacles they have encountered were put in their way by their own rowing union.

The quad will start their heats on Monday with a record that certainly suggests a result in the final. Performances at Docklands, Henley and two silver medals from the World Cup series have promoted a self-start crew to would-be world champions in just six months. The response of the Irish management, though, is seen as gravely disappointing.

There is widespread suspicion among international scullers of what is perceived as a sweep rowing-orientated union.

Much of the disillusionment can be traced back to last year's badly-handled selection process for the Olympics, which ended with Niall O'Toole and Brendan Dolan racing in Atlanta without a coach. The year was only salvaged by performance of a scratch quad, which finished fourth at the World Championships.

Training eight times a week, the quad will have chalked up over 7,000 kilometres by the time the racing starts. The intensive programme has seen John Armstrong shuttling between Belfast and Blessington, Dolan and Emmet O'Brien needing time off from work, and financial reliance on parents and the rest of the crew for newcomer Neal Byrne.

They estimate the campaign has cost at least £20,000, most of it from their own pockets, with very little from the rowing union's. Dolan says that the scullers felt that not everyone was fully behind them. "We came back from (the World Cup race in) Paris with silver and were told we had to trial again. We couldn't believe it; the (lightweight coxless) four had just bombed out and were told they were being pre-selected - the union was giving them a free ride."

One interpretation is that the union was banking on the coxless four which finished fourth in the Olympic final, to pull in a sponsor. The chairman of the International Competitive Committee, Dermot Henihan, yesterday agreed that the Olympic boat was likely to bring in sponsorship, but would not say whether that had influenced the allocation of funding. He added that the union had been directed to use some funding on the coxless four alone. "The quad were supported very fully for Paris, Lucerne, and the World Championships," he added.

Whether fully supported or not, the quad are about to face their toughest test. The likely scenario is a re-run of the Lucerne final, with the main threat coming from German and Italian crews.