An eight-man Irish team is putting the finishing touches to their preparations for the World Canoeing Championships for flat-water events in Milan in just over a week's time.

The championships are for flat-water kayakers (Ian Wiley will head up the Irish team for the slalom equivalent in Spain next month) and the Irish team of four experienced competitors and four younger athletes will travel to Milan on Monday. For the experienced members, in particular, the emphasis will be primarily on securing some of the very limited qualification places on offer for the Olympic Games next year.

Gary Mawer, who reached the World Championship final in 1994, competes in the K1 1,000 metres and teams up with his brother, John, for the K2 500m. There is also a strong brotherly flavour for the four, the K4 1,000m, where Conor and Brendan Moloney team up with John Mawer and Simon Van Lonkhuyzen. The two Moloneys also compete in the K2 1,000m.

While the team's recent preparation has been done in Ireland with Hungarian coach, and former world champion, Gabor Kulcsar, the experienced kayakers have worked in Australia with John Sumegi and in Germany with Josef Kapousek.

Van Lonkhuyzen, who as his name suggests has Dutch roots, is one of the four younger members of the squad at 22 - although seven of the eight are among the elite athletes in the Sports Council carding scheme. Adam Strevens (22) - who is not carded - Jason Briody (19) and Peter Egan (19) team up with Van Lonkhuyzen in the K4 500 metres, which is a non-Olympic event, and Van Lonkhuyzen also competes in the K1 1,000m, 500m and 200m. Egan and Strevens also take part in the K2 1,000, 500 and 200.

The athletes have been training twice a day, with one day's break each week. "Our preparations have gone very well, and Giles Warrington in the NCTC in Limerick has been a tremendous support in monitoring the fitness levels," said team manager Tom Egan yesterday.