Athletics: Norman hearing date set

THE date of the disciplinary hearing into the conduct of Andy Norman, the British Athletic Federation's promotions officer, has been fixed.

'The hearing will be within a short number of weeks,' the BAF spokesman Tony Ward said after yesterday's annual meeting. Peter Radford, the executive chairman, will make his decision as soon as possible afterwards.

The British athletics establishment slipped up on grass roots at the meeting as the sport's rank and file vented some of their growing frustration by voting out the BAF secretary, David Bedford, and the vice-chairman, Bob Greenoak. Until Ward's late announcement, however, disgruntlement persisted among those hoping to air the issue of the delay in the Norman investigation. Norman, absent on sick leave, is accused of threatening the writer and coach Cliff Temple, who committed suicide on 8 January, and alleging that Temple sexually harassed an athlete.

Dave Smyth, secretary of the Folkestone Club of which Temple was a member, tried without success to raise the matter at the end of the 41 2 - hour meeting. But he met Radford privately to put forward proposals which he hoped would help the BAF to restore some of its lost reputation. Once the Norman issue had been settled, Smyth requested that the federation pass a motion of self-censure over its delay in investigating the matter and that a statement be issued clearing Temple of any slur on his name.

Radford responded that the inquiry was not concerned specifically with clearing Temple's name but had to address the general question of Norman's behaviour. Until a decision is reached BAF regards the matter as sub judice.

Bedford, secretary since the BAF's inception in October 1991, lost his position to Matt Frazer, the 62-year-old secretary of the federation's cross-country commission.

Greenoak, who campaigned alongside Bedford last year, was replaced by Eric Shirley, while Ken Rickhuss, chairman of the cross-country commission, was voted into the chairmanship vacated by Radford earlier this year when he moved to his paid post as executive chairman.