German team in hot water

The German team will urge world body FINA to take no action against former 1,500 metre world champion Jorg Hoffman over his admission of once taking anabolic steroids, fearing he could miss this week's World Championships in Sydney.

The Germans, who are also considering an appeal against the stripping of coach Winfried Leopold's Sydney accreditation for involvement in doping, will defend Hoffman following press reports yesterday he may be next for censure.

FINA secretary Gunnar Werner said on Sunday when asked about Hoffman's situation: "Maybe we will investigate".

German federation president Rudiger Tretow said yesterday he would argue that FINA take no action against Hoffman over his admission in a television interview to taking anabolic steroids when he represented East Germany.

Hoffman is competing in the 200 metres and 400 metres events in the eighth World Swimming championships which begin tomorrow with the open water races.

Tretow said a meeting of FINA made the decision to withdraw Leopold's accreditation without taking into account the full circumstances of his involvement in the East German sports regime of the 1980s.

FINA took exception to Leopold's public apology at Perth airport last week for having administered drugs to East German swimmers.

"We feel the decision was taken only by formal reasons and not discussing the background of these reasons," Tretow said. "I think it is always bad that when someone tells the truth and has fought against drugs, that he is punished. Therefore we will never get other trainers to tell the truth."

If the Germans do appeal, their appeal will be heard by the same FINA bureau that withdrew Leopold's accreditation. The bureau has also referred Leopold's case to the FINA drug panel.

Earlier, German team spokesman Gerd Heydn claimed at least one other coach, from another nation at the championships was, like Leopold, under investigation by German prosecutors for involvement in doping of athletes under the former East German regime. "But no one's interested in him," Heydn said.