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Wednesday May 2 10:24 PM ET
By PETER O'CONNOR, Associated Press Writer
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Russian-born swimming coach Gennadi Touretski pleaded innocent Thursday in Australian Capital Territory court to charges of possessing a banned anabolic steroid.
Touretski, who coaches Olympic gold medalists Alexander Popov of Russia and Michael Klim (news - web sites) of Australia, did not speak during a five-minute hearing at Canberra Magistrates Court. His attorney Jason Parkinson entered the plea.
``Mr. Touretski looks forward to defending this charge,'' Parkinson said outside court. ``He looks forward to having the matter determined and finalized in the court, then he can go back to doing what he does best and that is training champion swimmers.''
Touretski will be tried Oct. 15 in a case expected to last four days. The allegations have rocked Australian swimming.
Touretski, 51, was charged last month with possession of the banned steroid Stanozolol and was suspended the same day from the country's elite training academy, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
He faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison if convicted.
Australian Swimming Inc. also dropped Touretski, who became an Australian citizen in 1996, from its coaching staff for the world championships in Japan in July. It also said he faces a life ban if found guilty.
Australian swimmers led by Klim have insisted the country's swimmers are clean and have strongly condemned drugs in sport.
Popov has publicly thrown his support behind Touretski, his longtime coach.
``I have had an association both socially and professionally with Gennadi for 11 years and I have never had any need to question his credibility or his ethics,'' Popov said in a statement.
At the Sydney Olympics (news - web sites), Klim won two relay gold medals and two silvers. Popov won two gold medals each at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics over 50 and 100 meters and a silver medal in Sydney. The Russian has been training for several years in Australia.
By PETER O'CONNOR, Associated Press Writer
CANBERRA, Australia (AP) - Russian-born swimming coach Gennadi Touretski pleaded innocent Thursday in Australian Capital Territory court to charges of possessing a banned anabolic steroid.
Touretski, who coaches Olympic gold medalists Alexander Popov of Russia and Michael Klim (news - web sites) of Australia, did not speak during a five-minute hearing at Canberra Magistrates Court. His attorney Jason Parkinson entered the plea.
``Mr. Touretski looks forward to defending this charge,'' Parkinson said outside court. ``He looks forward to having the matter determined and finalized in the court, then he can go back to doing what he does best and that is training champion swimmers.''
Touretski will be tried Oct. 15 in a case expected to last four days. The allegations have rocked Australian swimming.
Touretski, 51, was charged last month with possession of the banned steroid Stanozolol and was suspended the same day from the country's elite training academy, the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS).
He faces a maximum sentence of six months in prison if convicted.
Australian Swimming Inc. also dropped Touretski, who became an Australian citizen in 1996, from its coaching staff for the world championships in Japan in July. It also said he faces a life ban if found guilty.
Australian swimmers led by Klim have insisted the country's swimmers are clean and have strongly condemned drugs in sport.
Popov has publicly thrown his support behind Touretski, his longtime coach.
``I have had an association both socially and professionally with Gennadi for 11 years and I have never had any need to question his credibility or his ethics,'' Popov said in a statement.
At the Sydney Olympics (news - web sites), Klim won two relay gold medals and two silvers. Popov won two gold medals each at the Barcelona and Atlanta Olympics over 50 and 100 meters and a silver medal in Sydney. The Russian has been training for several years in Australia.
