There will be no official Irish entry in next month's first leg of the rowing World Cup in Munich because the competitive rowing committee of the Irish Amateur Rowing Union (IARU) does not feel the union can afford it.

The IARU were granted over £174,000 by the Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation last week and have just under £83,000 to spend on international competition. The Munich regatta is an expensive one in which to compete, and yesterday's committee meeting decided that the union could not afford it. This move will almost certainly be ratified by the executive of the union, which will meet in the next two weeks. "We have to make changes in our programme based on the grant we got. There may be more reductions," said national sweep rowing coach John Holland yesterday.

The lack of specific provision for coaching or equipment in the grant leaves the sport in something of a dilemma, although the chairman of the competitive rowing committee, Dermot Henihan, points out that more allocations may yet be given out. "We have goals and targets and it is our ambition to meet them," he said.

At least one Irish rower is still set to compete at Munich, promising 21-year-old single sculler Gearoid Towey, who will have to organise his own challenge.

Towey and Ruth Doyle travelled from Britain for the national trials at the weekend, but windy and wet weather ruined the occasion. The cream of Irish talent arrived on the Friday evening, but when rowing was clearly in jeopardy for the Saturday, the athletes were sent home.

The Metro regatta - ironically scheduled for May 30th, directly opposite Munich - is now pencilled in as an assessment regatta for those with international ambitions.

The World Cup regatta in Hazewinkel on June 21st is now set to be the first official outing for Irish crews. However, a club crew from Neptune - with three of the Irish lightweight four from the Atlanta Olympics - will compete in Cologne next weekend, and the strong Commercial quad scull and Neptune single sculler Albert Maher may also compete in Ghent the week after.