Sprinter Tim Montgomery has withdrawn from the Birmingham indoor grand prix on February 21st after refusing to discuss his relationship with banned Canadian coach Charlie Francis.
A spokesman for the promoters Fast Track said today the deal had fallen through because the world 100 metres record holder would refuse to answer questions about Francis at a news conference in London tomorrow.
"The deal floundered," the Fast Track spokesman said. "Tim wasn't prepared to talk about Charlie Francis. He didn't want to talk about the matter to the media. We didn't think that was possible because of the size of the story".
Montgomery and his partner, triple Olympic champion Marion Jones, announced separately last week that they had split with Francis. The coach had been advising the duo.
Francis was banned for life by Athletics Canada after Ben Johnson tested positive for steroids in the 1988 Seoul Olympic 100 metres final.