In a summer of worthy sports stories, surely the battle for Beijing between two of our world class rowers is one of the best.

This weekend, three times world champion Mahe Drysdale and the 2000 Olympic champion Rob Waddell will go head to head to determine which one represents this country in the single sculls at Beijing.

It has been a classic story of champion versus former champion; a tale of two magnificent sportspeople competing against each other for the chance to win gold in August.

This contest has kept rowing to the forefront of New Zealand sport. Even at the Westpac Halberg Awards in Christchurch, much of the talk was not about Drysdale and the coxless four winning their respective awards, but of the upcoming trials on Lake Karapiro.

People who have never seen a rowing race, never been to Karapiro, Waihola or Twizel, or stood alongside these two giant sportsmen, have come under the influence of this vitally important series.

They have taken sides. Some believe Drysdale should be the man to fill this position at the Olympics because he is the world champion. Others are of the opinion this trial series is the best way to select the most worthy contender, and there is yet another lobby which wants Waddell to finish his brilliant comeback to the sport by clinching the spot.

It is a wonderful story and one which is doing plenty of good for a sport which seems to be riding a high anyway.

Therefore it has been amazing that Rowing New Zealand has apparently undervalued the national interest by, until recently, banned any media coverage of the trials.

Initially they wanted to keep this extraordinary sporting event away from the public because the unpredictability of the weather meant they could not accurately schedule the races. They also wanted to keep the rowers protected from unnecessary pressure.

I am sure the rowers would agree that if they cannot handle the pressure of trials they will be hopelessly out of their depth at the Olympics!

Later, Rowing NZ claimed the main reason for banning the media from the trials was because the facilities at Karapiro are not up to standard. There is a lack of parking, toilets and food outlets. Goodness me, how considerate.

Fortunately there has been a change of heart. The Olympic rowing trials will receive media coverage. We will all be kept up to date on every little detail of this fascinating event.

It is worthy of top billing this weekend- of enough interest for radio stations to break into any rugby or cricket commentary with significant updates.

There has not been a story of this magnitude for any sport outside the recognized 'core four' in this country for a long time.

Let's hope the Drysdale versus Waddell Olympic trials are given saturation coverage. They deserve it and so does the public.