Dutch official blasts US coach on drug charge

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Sydney: Relations between the US and Netherlands swimming teams deteriorated on Thursday after the Dutch criticised a top American coach for telling journalists the Olympics were not drug free.

The technical director of the Dutch swimming team, Ad Roskam, said Richard Quick's suggestion that some swimmers were using performance-enhancing drugs was unfair because it cast doubts on every competitor.

"I don't understand people throwing accusations around, I don't know what is the purpose of that," Roskam said after Thursday morning's heats."I don't think that coaches or representatives of federations who do those things, I don't think they're fair players. I don't think they're very professional."

Roskam said he would have preferred that Quick, the head coach of the US women's team, had taken his concerns to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) or swimming's world governing body FINA rather than the press.

Quick told reporters the previous night, shortly after Dutchman Pieter van den Hoogenband won the men's 100 freestyle final and his team mate Inge de Bruijn set a world record in the semifinals of the women's 100 freestyle, that he had doubts about some of the performers.

Asked if he thought Quick was insinuating his team was cheating, Roskam replied, "I can't imagine that he is referring to the Dutch team. Outstanding performances occur in each team so I don't know what he means by that. I wish the press and other people would stop bothering the athletes about the drug problem and start addressing the people responsible, the governing bodies in sport.

"The athletes have no way of even remotely proving that they are clean and drugs free but people keep asking them and keep asking them what they think about it, what they feel about the allegations. It's not fair to the ones that are clean," he said.

"(Quick) should address the people that make the big bucks and make the decisions and somehow don't have the guts to make the decisions with lots of money and developing testing procedures."

Jacco Verhaeren, who coaches both de Bruijn and van den Hoogenband, said he was also upset by the comments after his two stars were besieged by reporters asking them to respond.

"I don't know why they do it. I think it's a little bit of jealousy. You know the people are stupid, especially people who are into swimming, especially coaches who say that, they shouldn't be here," he said.

"If he wants to say that then let him do it. I don't mind, as long as they swim fast and don't think too much about it I'm OK with it. If anything it will have a positive effect on them," Verhaeren said.



(c) Reuters Limited.