No Budd Decision, but Threat Lifted

Showing it can match the International Amateur Athletic Federation blow for political blow, the British Amateur Athletic Board on Sunday deferred a decision on runner Zola Budd’s eligibility, but got a surprise reprieve when the threat to suspend all British athletes dissolved.

The British board announced it would appoint a three-person panel to review Budd’s case, but little else was settled in a three-hour meeting of board officials in London.

Last week, the board was ordered by the IAAF to rule on Budd’s eligibility, which was under question because she had watched a cross-country race in Brakpan, South Africa. As the IAAF had done, the British board chose not to decide.

It was also revealed Sunday that the IAAF, in an abrupt reversal, maintained that it had never threatened to suspend the entire British federation if the British board did not take strong action against Budd.

IAAF officials, in Lausanne, Switzerland, for International Olympic Committee meetings, said that the section in its April 16 resolution that British officials called a “veiled threat” was included because of “administrative error.”

The part of the IAAF resolution under question stated, “If . . . the BAAB has failed to take such action as is necessary, the Council will have to consider exercising its suspensive powers against the BAAB.”

The threat of suspension had included preventing British track and field athletes from competing in the Summer Olympics at Seoul. “We have never mentioned the idea of the suspension of the British board,” IAAF President Primo Nebiolo said. “We will wait for the report of the committee and we will reflect. We have taken into consideration the eligibility of Zola Budd, not the eligibility of the British board.”

The British three-member panel, which has yet to be appointed, will hear new evidence and report to the board May 21. In the meantime, the board has requested that Budd not compete in any foreign or domestic meets.

John Bryant, Budd’s coach, reached by phone Sunday in Kingston, England, told The Times he thought the IAAF had backed down in response to strong criticism both in England and internationally.

“Clearly, there is a legal hand in all this,” Bryant said. “The whole thing smacks of a deal behind the scenes. I could see a scenario where the BAAB could say, ‘We will have a hearing and suspend Zola for a short time if you withdraw the threat of suspension of the whole federation.’ ”

The British board has already conducted two hearings regarding Budd’s conduct and both times cleared her. Now, however, it must consider Budd’s actions in light of the IAAF’s new interpretation of the participation rule, which has been broadened to prohibit an athlete from watching a competition in South Africa rather than only prohibiting an athlete from competing there.

In addition, Bryant and Budd have been consulting attorneys and are not ruling out legal action.