CORPORATE sponsorship worth £15,000 a year faces the axe if ongoing efforts fail to reinstate the canoe slalom in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games.

The Cara computer group which has been associated with the sport for the last eight years, has made no funding commitments beyond this September's world slalom championships in Brazil and their director of sales and marketing, Michael Rogers, was last night circumspect about future involvement.

Speaking at the slalom achievement awards function in Dublin, Rogers said: "We sponsored the sport based on the Olympic Games and not knowing whether there is an event in Sydney makes it difficult. The Canoe Union seem confident about current negotiations but we are not going to make a commitment."

Slalom's place in the Sydney Games is expected to be clarified in the next three to four weeks.

The reinstatement of the slalom would safeguard Ian Wiley's international future in top level competition, having already lost his Slovenian coach Marjan Strukelj, because of uncertainty surrounding the event.

Wiley, who received the achievements award in the kayak class for last year's European championship win and fifth place in the Atlanta Olympics, starts his preparation for the world championships next month with a training camp in Brazil. His season begins in earnest with a sprint series in June that leads into the five leg World Cup series.

"I am not thinking about the hassle with the Olympics, I am just concentrating on bringing the goods back from Brazil. I am not quite sure about funding and I can't say until after the championships whether I am going to continue. It is still a possibility that I might retire this year."

The one inducement for Wiley to stay on longer may be the Spanish venue for the 1998 championships which has proved particularly lucky for him.

However, 1997 seems certain to be the last international year for Mike Corcoran, who was last night honoured for his 10th place in the Olympic Canadian canoe. Eoin Rheinisch was recognised as the best newcomer.