Athletics in the UK: The Rise and Fall of the BAF

87 A poisoned chalice? This was a potential disaster for the BAF as Norman was a key figure in delivering high quality events to satisfy ITV; indeed, many saw him as the only person capable of doing this. The BAF could not ignore the matter as a public relations catastrophe was looming and it fell to the new executive chairman to deal with the hottest of hot potatoes. Radford acted decisively by suspending Norman and commissioning an urgent enquiry into the affair, concluding that, whether the allegations against Norman were right or wrong, so much damage was being done to the BAF’s reputation that Norman had to go. Norman’s employment ceased on 29 April 1994 and Ian Stewart, his deputy, took over as Promotions Director. In the meantime, Frank Dick had resigned as Director of Coaching, citing likely budget cuts that would threaten his ability to do his job. In late 1994, another bombshell landed when Diane Modahl, Britain’s best 800m runner at the time, tested positive for a banned drug. She had been asked to give a urine sample after a race in Portugal and the sample had been tested by a laboratory there but, under the doping rules of the IAAF, it was the responsibility of the BAF, as the athlete’s governing federation, to conduct the investigation and to apply any sanctions. Thus, as an innocent party, the BAF became caught up in the eye of a storm that would rumble on for several years. The Modahl case developed into a “cause celebre” that was to occupy much time and consume in legal costs such a large part of the BAF’s dwindling income that it came to be blamed as a reason for the financial demise of the federation. The first hearing of the case went against Modahl but she appealed, as she was entitled to. Between the first hearing and the appeal the Modahl team managed to compile sufficient scientific evidence to cast doubt on the implications of the original testing in Portugal and the appeal panel came down on her side. She had therefore been “cleared” by the BAF but the IAAF, dissatisfied, announced that they would take the matter to arbitration.