CHUNCHEON (Yonhap) ― Police said Thursday that they have cleared a marathon coach and his athletes of doping allegations, wrapping up their probe two months before South Korea hosts the world athletic championships.
The Gangwon Provincial Police Agency said it has examined the records of a rehabilitation hospital where 19 athletes were treated and found no evidence that they had been injected with banned substances to enhance their performance.
Among the athletes under investigation was Ji Young-jun, a top local marathoner who won the gold medal at the Guangzhou Asian Games last November, who trained under the 51-year-old coach, surnamed Jeong.
"The athletes said they took iron supplements as part of their rehabilitation treatment, denying that it was aimed at enhancing their performance," an official at the narcotics unit said. "We couldn't find evidence to prove the allegations, because the iron supplements we confiscated did not contain banned substances."
The investigation came before the southeastern city of Daegu hosts the 2011 World Championships in Athletics slated for August. South Korea has never won a medal at the world championships, and the marathon is regarded as the host's best chance for a medal.
The Korea Association of Athletic Federations (KAAF) had earlier launched an internal probe, but it also found no evidence of doping. KAAF officials suspected some coaches of semi-pro clubs may have conspired against Jeong and given false tips to police.
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