 Lewis defends her Olympic heptathlon title in Athens in 2004 |
Olympic chief Jacques Rogge believes Denise Lewis is "unwise" to work with controversial coach Dr Ekkart Arbeit. Lewis and coach Frank Dick appointed Arbeit to help her return to fitness to defend her Olympic heptathlon crown in Athens in 2004.
But the decision sparked a furore because of Arbeit's self-confessed involvement with the systematic doping of East German athletes in the 1970s and 1980s.
Rogge insisted that Lewis has a responsibility as an Olympic champion to set an example by steering clear of individuals tainted by drugs.
The president of the International Olympic Committee told the Sunday Times: "I speak as a sports lover and I think she's being so unwise, in terms of perception.
"It's not a good idea. If you work with someone who has admitted that he participated [in doping], I don't think it's wise.
"There are no rules broken but it's a matter of the broader perception of the public.
"It's nothing to do with guilt, I am not saying she will be more prone to take drugs because of him.
"But this is an association of an Olympic champion, an icon with a man who has a reputation that's not the best, and that's not good."
Although he was never convicted of any crime in Germany, Arbeit's name was found in files of the Stasi, the East German secret police, linking him with doping between 1971 and 1989.
He has since admitted his involvement with the doping programme.
But he said in a statement last month: "I make no excuses for what I did as a coach for the GDR team but I hope that I can be judged by my actions today and not those of over a decade ago."
MMIX
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It's a matter of the broader perception of the public 