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May 22nd Hansen's boyfriend charged over stabbing

Chris Cotter, the white former boyfriend of Ashia Hansen was today charged in connection with the attack he suffered a month ago.
Cotter and co-defendants Surjit Singh Claire and Craig Wynn, all from Birmingham have been charged with jointly perverting the course of justice.
The three also face charges of jointly sending racist mterial with intent to cause distress, harrassment and alarm and conspiracy to obtain financial gain by selling the story to newspapers.
The have been bailed to appear in court again on the 31st May.
Ashia Hansen relesaed a statement saying that the incidient has caused a great deal of destress to not only herself, but her friends and family and she now wishes to have privacy in order to prepare for the Olympics. She also said that she was no longer invovled in a close relationship with Mr Cotter.

March 24th Hansen in hiding after boyfriend is stabbed

Housemate and best friend of Katharine Merry, triple jumper Ashia Hansen is today under police protection, following a vicious attack on her parter of six years, Chris Cotter.
Mr Cotter lost four pints of blood when he was stabbed in the head and back on Tuesday as he was getting out of his car in the driveway of Ashia and Katharine's house in Birmingham. Police are in no doubt that the attack was racially motivated, as Cotter is white and Hansen is black.
The Express newspaper reported that the couple had been subject to a nine month hate campign beofre the attack took place.
Ashia Hansen sought police protection after she recieved a threat through the post from Cotter's attackers on Thursday.
Police said today that the couple had left Birmingham and had 'no immediate palns to return.' It is thought that they will remain in hiding until Ashia leaves the counrty to fly to her winter traing camp in the USA in two weeks' time.

Feb 20th Date set for Linford's hearing

Linford Christie was today given a date for the arbirtatration hearing which he will face as a result of the doping allegations made against him.  Linford will face an IAAF disicplinary panel on the 6-9th July at the federation's headquarters in Monte Carlo. This date will mean three month delay for Linford Christie, who was expecting to face arbutration in April.  It is almost certain that the IAAF wil ban him for two years, as as arbitration panel of this kind has never before cleared an athlete.

Feb 18th Team Linford move to new training facilities

Following an offer from Australian middle distance hero, Ron Clarke, Linford Christie has decded to move his training group to his training facilities on the Gold Coast, Queensland.  The Group hope to leave Sydney this weekend.

Feb 16th Linford Christie is banned from coaching by New South Wales

Linford Christie was today told that he has been banned from using NSW coaching facilities, due to his suspension over the recent nandrolone case brought against him by the IAAF. Although Linford has retired from his career as a top international athlete, NSW still imposed the ban upon him, which prevents him entering training facilities in Sydney, where he is currently coaching his squad, which includes Katharine Merry. This move has surprised many as Linford has retired as an athlete and is using the facilities as a coach only. This somwhat short sighted decision by NSW's governing athletics body could have wide ranging implications not only on Chrisite, but also the athletes who he trains as they will be denied thier coach during training sessions if the group decides to remain in Sydney.

OFFICIAL STATEMENT FROM NUFF RESPECT

'The announcement of NSW's decision to prevent Linford from carrying out his coaching duties is of great disappointmnet to him.  He understands that the IAAF has contacted Atheltics Australia requesting that his role as a coach is not affected by their decision to suspend all athletes pending the arbitration hearings. Athletics Australia is also publicly supporting  Linford and this combined with the huge public support he has received in Australia only reinforces his surprise and the general confsion surrounding the NSW's governmnet's decision to implement this ban.

Despite assumptions made in various articles in today's newspapers, Linford is not prearing to 'abandon' his athletes and has no plans to return to the uK as a result of this decision.'

Katharine says 'Linford had made it clear to us that his main concern is that none of this affects us in training and because he has passed on a lot of his mental strength to us over the years, none of us will allow it to affect us.'

Feb 11th 2000  Christie's 'jealousy' claims rejected

The International Amateur Athletics Federation yesterday denied claims made by Linford Christie of 'jealousy and prjudice' against the former Olympic 100m champion.
Although cleared by UK athletics of using the banned anabolic steroid nandrolone, but the IAAF have insisted Christie's case be referred to its own arbitrartion panel, which is expected to sit in April.
Christie, who manages or coaches some of Britain's brightest up-and-coming athletes, including Dwain Chambers, Jamie Baulch and Katharine Merry is currently in Sydney coaching eight of his squad.
  Christie made his attack upon the IAAF whose arbitration panel also intend hearing the cases of two other British athletes - Doug Walker and Gary Cadogan - who were also cleared by UKA after testing positive for nandrolone. Christie said: 'They want to sacrifice my eight athletes in order to satisfy their jealousy and prejudice against me,
'It's a conspiracy. My athletes are all potential medallists. They are youngsters trying to get tot he Olympics.'
If Christie is given a mandatory two- year ban by the IAAF's arbitration panel he will be prevented from coaching at Sydney's Academy of Sport.
He will also be denied access to the Olympic Village where his proteges will be based during the Games.
The IAAF rejected Christie's allegations.
spokesman Giorgio Reineri said: 'I don't belive there has ever been any jealousy or prejudice against Linford Christie.
'On the contrary, I would say there is nothing but respect for what he has acheived.'
                                                                                             Thanks Metro London

Read the case history of the doping charges made against Linford Christie here