Paris (AFP)
Tired by the Clémence Calvin affair and the doping accusations targeting Morhad Amdouni, the French Athletics Federation (FFA) is trying with a new team to regain control of the preparation of its marathon runners to avoid new scandals.
Last weekend, a dozen people gathered in Dourdan (Essonne): we find there the fine flower of the French road race, including the four athletes to have succeeded the Olympic minima on marathon (2h11: 30), Hassan Chahdi, Nicolas Navarro, Benjamin Choquert and Morhad Amdouni. On the menu, joint outings and especially discussions to burst the abscess. Because there is no lack of concern.
Since last October, Morhad Amdouni has been at the heart of a controversy: a report by the German channel ARD has revealed exchanges on his WhatsApp messaging where he is asked to receive payments for EPO. The 2018 European champion of 10,000m firmly rejected these accusations, supported until now by no official investigation.
A matter which is added to the suspension for four years of the vice-champion of the European of the marathon Clémence Calvin and to the positive control at the EPO of Ophélie Claude-Boxberger.
To surround the best French marathon runners and try to avoid a new scandal, the National Technical Director Patrice Gergès, weakened since the poor results of the Doha Worlds (two medals, no title) and the arrival of ex-cyclist Florian Rousseau to the rescue, therefore resolved to create a new cell (in the boxes for several months).
- "Bring order" -
Three experienced personalities with an immaculate reputation were brought together: the former marathon runner Christelle Daunay, in strong positions against doping, takes the head of the group, helped by the trainer of Hassan Chahdi Jean-Caude Vollmer and by a federal executive , Lahcen Salhi.
"There is a need to supervise, says DTN Patrice Gergès to AFP. There is suspicion of another marathon runner. Marathon runners are among the athletes who are a little too neglected. I intend to put the order in the marathon house is not going to be easy. "
The FFA will from now on be more strict on the validation of the places of training of the athletes, which it finances, while several countries are singled out (Kenya and Morocco in particular) for the difficulty of carrying out unannounced checks and the ease of 'access to doping products.
"The mesh is not complete but the constraints are installed, the obligations are posed (...) But I am sure that it will be fine to ban all places in the world and fix only one, doping will come to this place There are places that are prohibited today, I cannot say which ones because the last time I said it, I found myself with a diplomatic problem with Morocco ", continues Patrice Gergès.
- "Angry subjects" -
The cell also intends to have an eye on the various training plans and the state of form of each, enough to make one think of being placed under supervision, in particular of Amdouni.
"We stalled things and discussed the angry subjects, explained to AFP Jean-Claude Vollmer. We asked questions to Morhad but he found it difficult to answer other than in a confused manner, I did not well understood, there was a lot of emotion. "
"Is Morhad Amdouni under guardianship? No, we just want transparency."
Author of a remarkable recovery on the cross, Amdouni attacks the Olympic season with a renewed entourage: dropped by his agent and his trainer Philippe Dupont after the revelations of German television in the fall, he is now screwed up by Abderrazak Zbairi, coach of the French military athletics team.
The new "road race" unit also intends to prepare for the future, with the Paris Games in 2024, to relaunch a female France team, which has not existed on the international level on the road in recent years apart from Clémence Calvin.
In the short term, the athletes are also preparing for the Paris half-marathon (March 1), the launching pad for the World Half-Marathon on March 29 in Gdynia (Poland).
© 2020 AFP