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MELBOURNE - Former swimmer Elka Graham is tainting innocent athletes by refusing to disclose more about her drug allegation, Swimming Australia chief Glenn Tasker said yesterday.
Dual Olympian Graham claimed in a newspaper column that she was offered performance-enhancing drugs by another elite swimmer while training before the 2004 Athens Olympics.
She declined to name the swimmer or their nationality, saying the person had retired, and she intended to stay "tightlipped".
Tasker said Swimming Australia and Australian coach Alan Thompson had tried unsuccessfully to contact Graham to urge her to provide more information. He said Graham had a responsibility to former teammates.
"You can't drop a hand-grenade in a room and think you're going to get out before it goes off," Tasker said. "If she can give us a name, then the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority will investigate.
"The bottom line is at the moment that a whole bunch of really, really quality people have been tainted."
AAP
