Australia hit by scandal
Source: AFP |
June 14, 2012, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
AUSTRALIA was rocked by allegations that an athlete held his Olympic team to ransom by insisting on a A$5,000 (US$5,000) payment before competing in an event.
Australian Weightlifting Federation chief Michael Keelan claimed officials scrambled to find the money to give to Daniel Koum after he asked for it at the Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Samoa last week.
If any Australian male athlete had failed to compete at the event the team could not have finished among the top five nations, meaning Australia would have been unable to send a male lifter to the London Olympics.
"He said if he didn't get that amount of money he would not participate in the championships," Keelan said, adding it was the first time such a thing had happened to him in 40 years in the sport. "We were absolutely shocked and stunned. It was just unbelievable."
Koum, who competed at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, rejected the claims.
Australian Weightlifting Federation chief Michael Keelan claimed officials scrambled to find the money to give to Daniel Koum after he asked for it at the Oceania Weightlifting Championships in Samoa last week.
If any Australian male athlete had failed to compete at the event the team could not have finished among the top five nations, meaning Australia would have been unable to send a male lifter to the London Olympics.
"He said if he didn't get that amount of money he would not participate in the championships," Keelan said, adding it was the first time such a thing had happened to him in 40 years in the sport. "We were absolutely shocked and stunned. It was just unbelievable."
Koum, who competed at the Commonwealth Games in 2010, rejected the claims.
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