Board to inquire on Budd

Press, 26 April 1988, Page 31

Board to inquire on Budd

NZPA-;R:euteri ' • I London The.; Brinish athletics’ governing: body delayed an ini.mediate decision bn the South African-Horn runner. Zola Budd, 'on! Sunday, instead'setting up' ,'a committee of.f.mquirv to (investigate frer eligibility! td jnn |for Britain, I \. The! British Amateur Athletic Bqalrq announced its I action after! meeting; for |2fc hours lib discuss the' April 16’ directive b'y he International ' Amateur Athletic Federation to’ ban the athlete for! -12 months: i : ! The i.A.A:F. called for'the. ban (because 1 of Budd’s pinvolvement ]n . an ; athletics meeting jin Soiith Africa (last year. .; ; ; ■ ■ 1 , The (BiA'A B.| said a thre.ememberi committee.! under an independent chairman, would report; bhdk oti May-21 after hearing [evidence from Budd This' J’ hate ! means the B.A.AiB.’Is becision must come after she bne-month deadline set by !thb liA.A.Fi.. to tage action] i f ■ ’'l ; Budb iwill be asked not to take |jpin in competitions under; i international ruleswhile'! the' committee carries o**l its investigation. The IIaJa.F. has sainfihat if ! f II II ! ■ ! r '\- .

Budd ;s no- banned, it Mil! consider i suspending I I tie B.A A. 8.. which i would | me m Brit str athletics being barred .from competition including the se< al Olympics later this yedrj A brief statement was read to c press! conference ay] the 8.AA.8. spokesman. Tciny '.Vaid. who said (that in sefting up he committee of inquiry the board.; was. not making a dec sion L straightaway i ]or B'Jcd’s eligibility. The committee would have one member nominated I by the English Women's! Ama ten ■ Athletic Association qnt by the Men’s Amateur Ath leu: Association and an independent chairman. ! ■’The ! inquiry wijll be carried out fairly. properly anc in i; accordance wjtiji natiral justice." Mr Ward "Miss 'Budd I and tie] lidvisers will be given ar] opportunity to! appear before the committee; and to give ev • derice." he said. Budd, liged '2l. a twe-tme world dross-country uh inpion, has been dogged of controversy since arr v-.ni in Britain in March. 1984, and being granted British cjiiieu-

! !' ; ship within two weeks i She was involved in a collision with the American runner. Mary [Decker. ui; the Olympic 3000np final and-riiet with more upset six months later when she was. forcqdfcff the course by anti-aparftseid demonstrators at the English cross-country :hampiens&ips. Her failure to meet | residential’qualif cations led to her being banned fromjbiimpeting at-the [1986 Edinburgh Commonwealth Games. .She was also forced'! to withdraw from this year’s world cross-country Championships in ] New ’ Zealand ■after pressure from!'lithe I.jn.A.F. and [boycott threats from some African countries. She is now (alleged tri have violated I.A.A.F. rules by. attending races in Brakpan land Rankfontein last year j | • Zola Budd on Sunday describee” herself as a "ipijiitical pawn ” as confusion deepened surrounding her- athletics future. ’ Tne South African-born runner said she was "very disappointed" that she would not be able to compete for : a month following ; her suspension by the 8.AA8., while it investigates her eligi-

bility- I j "(I have been; a political pawn." Budd said. "I want to clear my name ts s?on as possible and . want the whole thing cleared -up la. quickly as possible." ; Her coach, .loin Bryant, declared that he was en(cob raged by she; lay’s devel-. opments. I don’t think the world looks as black as it -lid this time last week." Mr Bryant said. ' ■ Budd was also ,n a "much more positive fra ne of mind (than she was last week-end." he. said. He welcomed ti e B A.A.B.’s creation of the c-imrrittee of inquiry to probe alligations she took part n athletics meetings in South Africa last year. "Any inquiry which is going to get: at tiie trutti has got to oe good n ?ws and the fuller it is, the less of a case there will Ibe to answer. There isn’t any new’evidence that Zola .can fecr.” Mr Bryant said."I don’t know wna;’s going to happen and I’n n-u in the business of ma ting predictions But we w >n’f give up the neht. ” he sa d.