Former Polish Olympic pole vault champion Wladyslaw...

Former Polish Olympic pole vault champion Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz said he fears he could be barred from next year’s European track and field championships because of his defection to West Germany.

Kozakiewicz, 32, who set a world record with a vault of 18-11 1/2 at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, has settled in Hanover, West Germany, with his German-born wife and two children. He has also applied for German citizenship.

He said he faces a possible three-year ban from competing for West Germany in Olympic, World and European championships under International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) rules.

IAAF General Secretary John Holt said the ban would apply if the Polish track and field federation refuses permission for Kozakiewicz to compete for West Germany.

Holt said only a one-year ban would apply if the Poles granted their permission, allowing him to compete in next August’s European championship in Stuttgart.