Cycling News Flash for July 30, 2004

Edited by Gerard Knapp

Dajka out, Kersten in Australian Olympic team

Ben Kersten has been nominated to the Australian Olympic Committee for inclusion in the track cycling squad for the Athens Olympic Games. The decision comes after the Australian Olympic Committee removed Jobie Dajka from the team in the wake of the release of the Addendum to the Anderson Inquiry Report (see yesterday's report).

Dajka has yet to answer disciplinary charges under Cycling Australia’s constitution, however, it's understood that Dajka plans to appeal his expulsion from the Olympics squad.

Craig Phillips, the AOCs director of sport and operations, interviewed Dajka at the Australian team's training camp in Germany yesterday. He questioned the 2002 world keirin champion over the finding by Robert Anderson, QC, that DNA evidence contradicted Dajka's denial of ever self injecting in Mark French's room at the Del Monte facility of the Australian Institute of Sport.

A statement from John Coates, president of the AOC, was released earlier today to the Australian media. In it, he says, "These denials were given in the course of Anderson's inquiry on behalf of Cycling Australia and the Australian Sports Commission. Dajka had made earlier statements to this effect to Justin Stanwix in the course of his initial investigation into the Del Monte affair and had also made public statements to the same effect.

"Dajka confirmed to Craig Phillips that he had been untruthful to both inquiries. He admitted to self injecting in French's room. Given Anderson's finding and Dajka's admission, clearly Dajka has breached his conditional selection to the Team and his Olympic Team Membership Agreement.

"He has brought himself, the sport of cycling, the Team and the AOC into disrepute and censure. As a result I have terminated his selection to, and membership of, the 2004 Australian Olympic Team which was conditional on Anderson's finding."

A full report will follow.

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