Week 3:

HeadLine Inside Lines
Publication Independent on Sunday Date 06/11/2005
Byline by Alan Hubbard Sports Diarist of the Year


Drug paddling row leads to new checks

British canoeing vehemently denies it is up the creek without the proverbial
paddle despite the furore following our stories about the controversial
views of the new national coach, Krassimir Ivanov, who has advocated the use
of drugs albeit, he claims, in a "hypothetical situation". Ivanov has now
stated that he would never promote the use of illegal substances, nor
encourage any athlete to do so, and "totally supports" the anti drugs stance
of the British Canoe Union and UK Sport. But he admits "naivety" in the
original interview, published in a Belgian journal. UK Sport, who ordered an
investigation, are satisfied with the Bulgarian's explanation, but have
acted positively, if you'll pardon the expression, to put in place a
screening system to check any drugs involvement by all foreign coaches
employed here in the run-up to 2012. Fair enough, but let us ask a
'hypothetical' question: would Ivanov, with his background - he admitted
being given substances as a competitor but says he was not aware if they were
performance-enhancing - have been employed by the BCU while London was
bidding for 2012? The answer is no. Seb Coe would have had a blue fit. So
why hire him now?

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