Athletics: Skah ordered to training camp

Khalid Skah's participation in tomorrow's international cross- country meet in County Durham is in doubt after he was ordered home by the Moroccan Athletic Federation.

Skah has been told by his national governing body that he must join up with his Moroccan team-mates at a training camp. Morocco is hosting this year's World Cross-Country Championships in March and the Moroccans are keen to end Kenya's domination of the event.

Skah contacted Durham organisers telling them of the problem, although he insisted that he will not accept the demands made on him and is asking his federation for an official reason why he must return home.

Skah, who has won the individual world cross-country titles in 1990 and 1991, would love to achieve a third victory on home soil, but said that to achieve that aim it is only logical that he should be allowed to take part in IAAF World Cross Challenge events such as Durham.

Nigel Gough, the Durham race director, said: "Khalid is extremely upset at what is going on and he just cannot understand why he's being told that he cannot race in Durham or anywhere else."