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BRUSSELS, Belgium, Feb. 17 - The national judo federation fired Belgium’s most
successful Olympic coach because of a sponsorship conflict just seven months ahead of the
Sydney Games, officials said Thursday
JEAN-MARIE DEDECKER who led the small Belgian judo team to three Olympic gold medals, one
silver and four bronzes in four Olympics, was dismissed after his top team members
switched sponsorship at the Paris Open over the weekend.
Dedecker defended his athletes and said they were right to drop the federation’s
official sponsor to seek a more lucrative deal.
"The attitude and statements of Dedecker directly clashed with those of the
federation, making any further cooperation impossible", a statement issued by
the judo federation said.
Dedecker reacted angrily. "It only confirms my theories of the last 20 years:
athletes are not important. The men in blazers are," he told the Het Nieuwsblad
newspaper.
The Belgian Olympic Committee said it still hopes a compromise can be reached between
Dedecker and the judo federation to keep him working with the team in some capacity
through the Sydney Games.
Apart from his Olympic record, Dedecker also led the Belgian team to seven gold medals, 12
silvers and 14 bronzes in world championships.
Source:
NBC - USA
www.nbcolympics.com |
