Scottish snowboarder Lesley McKenna has slammed the qualification process for Vancouver 2010 as a lack of funding threatens to shatter her Olympic dream.

McKenna, 34, is ranked eighth in the world in following her impressive outing in the first World Cup event of the season in Saas Fe where the Aviemore half-pipe specialist came fifth.

That top-five finish means McKenna has met the BOA and IOC criteria for the Winter Olympics but in order to rubber stamp her Olympic appearance she must finish in the top 30 of the World Cup points list just one month before Vancouver.

And the British Champion believes a lack of government funding, which restricts the number of competitions she can enter, will jeopardise her place on the plane to Canada.

“It seems pretty unfair because in theory I should be high and dry,” said McKenna, who has chalked up six podium finishes and two victories on the World Cup circuit.

“I am currently ranked eighth in the world and there are not many UK athletes who can say that yet I have no funding.

“I did have funding in the past but mainly due to being injured I lost it. Snowboarding is a high injury sport and the funding authorities have to learn this.

“If they want to see athletes succeed at a high level under their banner then a lot of injury is what they will have to learn to live with – but as I have had no funding I can take full credit for my great achievements.”