British team unhappy with timing of Saunders ban

By Patrick Vignal

BEIJING (Reuters) - The British Olympics team has criticized the Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) for the timing of an announcement that Billy Joe Saunders had been suspended, saying it had disrupted the team's semi-finals preparations.

The ABA said on Wednesday that welterweight Saunders, who lost in the second round in Beijing, was suspended pending a hearing following media reports of lewd behavior during a pre-Games training camp in France.

"The Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) choosing to yesterday (Wednesday) issue Billy Joe Saunders with a suspension relating to an incident which happened months before the Beijing Olympic Games is extremely disappointing," British team Chef de Mission Simon Clegg said in a statement on Thursday.

The news of the ban came after three British boxers qualified for Friday's semi-finals.

"Releasing such allegations to the media at this time could prove detrimental to the critical preparations of the other three boxers who will be contesting to reach the final of the boxing competition tomorrow (Friday)," Clegg added.

"We are frustrated that our athletes and the boxing coaching team will have to deal with this added pressure and distraction at this point in the Games. Nobody involved with boxing should be distracting the team at this time."

British boxing team coach Terry Edwards called the allegations "unfounded" and said he would concentrate on preparing his boxers for the medal bouts.

"My focus over the next 48 hours is to prepare my three boxers for their semi-final bouts tomorrow (Friday)", Edwards said in a statement.

"The allegations made in the media about the conduct of athletes on the British boxing program are, on the whole, unfounded," Edwards added.

"I feel extremely disillusioned that I have learnt of the suspension of one of my boxers from the media.

"Above all though, I am so sad that this, together with the other allegations made, have been raised to distract and unsettle me, the coaching team, and more importantly my boxers ahead of the most important bouts of their lives."

(Editing by Jeremy Laurence)