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UK Athletics Questioned for Inviting Coach Involved in Doping
The United Kingdom will be hosting the 2012 Olympics and sports officials of the country are all busy preparing for this event. They want to make sure that all facilities are ready in time for the London Olympics. However, this is not the only thing sports officials are concerned about. As the host country, they want to be on the top medal tally when the competition ends.
Inviting Coaches To Train Elite Athletes
UK athletes are undergoing rigorous trainings but are recently on the scrutiny of some people. The UK Athletics brought into its coaching team a former Olympian involved in doping. Vesteinn Hafsteinsson, who was caught using steroids in the 1984 Olympics, was invited by the UKA to train some of its elite athletes. Hafsteinsson served a two year ban for nandrolone use.
One of the athletes who will be coached by the former Olympian is discus thrower Lawrence Okoye. Okoye recently broke the national record that was uncontested in 13 years. He throws 67.63 metres, an impressive record for a 19 year-old athlete.
Hafsteinsson already coached Olympians. Estonian discus thrower Gerd Kanter, who won a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, is just one of those athletes he trained.
Some Not Happy with UKA?s Decision
Critics are worried on the decision of UKA. It can taint the achievement of their athletes in the London Olympics. Suspicions that these athletes are on some form of synthetic enhancement will not be prevented. An interview of the Daily Mail revealed this concern. ?It?s quite wrong that UK Athletics should regard this man as a suitable character to coach young athletes. They ought to be trying to discourage lads like Lawrence from having any contact with convicted drugs cheats,? the source said.
The presence of Hafsteinsson sends a wrong message. ?Instead of which, they?re bringing this guy over here- at considerable expense- and placing him in a position of authority. In the year before the London Olympics, when the sport will come under real scrutiny, it seems incredibly insensitive. It gives the worst possible example,? added the source from the track and field.
UKA Defends Decision
Hafsteinsson will only provide his technical expertise and is not employed as a full time coach in the athletics. ?Hafsteinsson has not been used as a coach but to distil technical expertise in his event. If he were to be employed as a coach, that would be different. He was used in a technical capacity and nothing else,? said a spokeswoman from the UKA.
Under the UKA rules, anyone who served a doping ban will not be issued a coaching license.
The UK anti-doping has vowed that they will not tolerate doping of any kind in their national pool of athletes. Just recently, sprinter Bernice Wilson was sanctioned for failing a steroid test. She was caught in an international competition and a good prospect for the Olympics.
Lord Coe, the head of the London 2012 Olympics, reiterated in the ?Year to Go? celebration last week his zero tolerance policy on the abuse of recreational and performance enhancing drugs like steroids.
The United Kingdom will be hosting the 2012 Olympics and sports officials of the country are all busy preparing for this event. They want to make sure that all facilities are ready in time for the London Olympics. However, this is not the only thing sports officials are concerned about. As the host country, they want to be on the top medal tally when the competition ends.
Inviting Coaches To Train Elite Athletes
UK athletes are undergoing rigorous trainings but are recently on the scrutiny of some people. The UK Athletics brought into its coaching team a former Olympian involved in doping. Vesteinn Hafsteinsson, who was caught using steroids in the 1984 Olympics, was invited by the UKA to train some of its elite athletes. Hafsteinsson served a two year ban for nandrolone use.
One of the athletes who will be coached by the former Olympian is discus thrower Lawrence Okoye. Okoye recently broke the national record that was uncontested in 13 years. He throws 67.63 metres, an impressive record for a 19 year-old athlete.
Hafsteinsson already coached Olympians. Estonian discus thrower Gerd Kanter, who won a gold medal in the Beijing Olympics, is just one of those athletes he trained.
Some Not Happy with UKA?s Decision
Critics are worried on the decision of UKA. It can taint the achievement of their athletes in the London Olympics. Suspicions that these athletes are on some form of synthetic enhancement will not be prevented. An interview of the Daily Mail revealed this concern. ?It?s quite wrong that UK Athletics should regard this man as a suitable character to coach young athletes. They ought to be trying to discourage lads like Lawrence from having any contact with convicted drugs cheats,? the source said.
The presence of Hafsteinsson sends a wrong message. ?Instead of which, they?re bringing this guy over here- at considerable expense- and placing him in a position of authority. In the year before the London Olympics, when the sport will come under real scrutiny, it seems incredibly insensitive. It gives the worst possible example,? added the source from the track and field.
UKA Defends Decision
Hafsteinsson will only provide his technical expertise and is not employed as a full time coach in the athletics. ?Hafsteinsson has not been used as a coach but to distil technical expertise in his event. If he were to be employed as a coach, that would be different. He was used in a technical capacity and nothing else,? said a spokeswoman from the UKA.
Under the UKA rules, anyone who served a doping ban will not be issued a coaching license.
The UK anti-doping has vowed that they will not tolerate doping of any kind in their national pool of athletes. Just recently, sprinter Bernice Wilson was sanctioned for failing a steroid test. She was caught in an international competition and a good prospect for the Olympics.
Lord Coe, the head of the London 2012 Olympics, reiterated in the ?Year to Go? celebration last week his zero tolerance policy on the abuse of recreational and performance enhancing drugs like steroids.