HeadLine Inside Lines
Publication Independent on Sunday Date 23/10/2005
Byline by Alan Hubbard Sports Diarist of the Year

'Legalise drugs' row coach wins UK job

The curious appointment of a coach who apparently advocates the legalising
of doping has caused ripples of concern in the waters of British canoeing.
The Bulgarian-born Krassimir Ivanov, who coached a Belgian kayak pair to
the Olympic finals in Athens, has been given a full-time post with the
British Canoe Union despite an interview in a Belgian sports journal in
which he is quoted as saying: 'Doping should be freely allowed... then
nearly everyone will do it but it will eventually reduce the chances that
drugs will be taken because everyone will know what everyone else is
doing.' This has led to calls for his suspension and an investigation by
concerned voices within the sport. However Ivanov, now a naturalised
Belgian, vehemently denies administering or being involved with drugs, even
in his Iron Curtain days, and UK Sport, the body responsible for enforcing
Britain's anti-doping regulations, say: 'We are satisfied that no athlete
under his direction has ever tested positive for banned substances, nor has
he encouraged their use. At worst he could be naive in answering
hypothetical questions on how sport might look if there was no drugs
testing.' So paddle power, not peddle power, eh?



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....actually, Ivanov admits to being administered drugs - and as there is a
policy of personal responsibility, he's guilty. He also states that those
who refused to take the pills were sent home. So, there were some athletes
with integrity, but not Ivanov. He was just a cheat who now boasts about his
drugged-up performances.

My reply to UKSport later.


Allan Bennett
Not a fan of ripples


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