This week rowers around the world have been putting in their final preparations for the start of their London Olympic regatta qualification at a small picturesque lake at Bled in Slovenia where the World Rowing Championships start on Saturday (August 28).

The recent celebration of the one year countdown to London 2012 wasn't lost on many who are aspiring to compete there.

It will be a great event; London organisers are well prepared and will do it and the UK proud. The anticipation and expectation is building, the running of the test events and the first sporting event at Olympic Park are testament to the proximity of the Games. Teams, International federations and LOCOG will all be reviewing these events and planning accordingly for fair fields of play, spectator requirements, communications, transport and accommodation.

For the athletes and teams that will compete there is one particular pressing hurdle they will all have to overcome and that is qualification for the Games. The athletes and teams need to earn their place at the Games before the athletes can be selected into the Olympic team. Some times this goes hand in hand but often the selection trials will see the athletes further tested closer to the Games.

Each sport has its own qualification process but since 1992 the Olympic Games has been limited to roughly 10,000 athletes. There will be 550 rowers competing in London and this coming week 70 per cent of the available places to nations will be granted from the results gained from the World Championships. The remaining places are filled through continental regattas and a final summer qualification regatta in 2012.

The advantage to the teams who qualify first is that their pathway is clear, planning and training can proceed with the aim of peaking for the Olympics. For those who don't uncertainty follows as hard questions are asked about the viability of success both in the qualification process and what realistic chances they have at the Games if they make it.

Rowing World Championships are held annually and through the Olympiad the standard builds to the pre-Olympic year's "qualification" Championships. The racing is ferocious not just for the medals and finals but more importantly the qualification places that come from the results. Five hundredth of a second was one of the qualifying margins for one of the GB Beijing crews in 2007.

So with the prize clearly at stake, the first Olympic test is upon us and with the knowledge of what must be done, rowers from around the world will be preparing for the fight of their sporting lives. It will be a great feast of competition at so many levels that in so many events Olympian proportions of courage, fitness and skill will be required so that they even have the opportunity to see the Olympic flame burning in London

Paul Thompson the chief coach of Britain's women and lightweight squads. At the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games he coached the women's quaduple scull to a silver medal