Belgian head urges deputy chairman to resign

The head of Belgian Olympic Committee wants his top anti-doping official to resign after a retiring athlete said the doctor had advised him to take illegal products a decade ago.



Dr. Renno Roelandt, who also holds a post at the World Anti-Doping Agency, however, refused to step down as deputy chairman of the Belgian Olympic committee despite the urging from chairman Pierre-Olivier Beckers.



Instead, the Belgian Olympic Committee decided on Monday to open an investigation into the allegations from sprinter Erik Wijmeersch that Roelandt advised him in 1998 to take illegal growth hormones.



Wijmeersch, a multiple Belgian champion who never broke through at an international level, said he took doping products for three years, until 2001.



Roelandt is not accused of providing him with drugs, only giving advise.