The Russian athletics federation is considering legal action against Gabriela Szabo and her manager in the row over world 5,000 metres champion Olga Yegorova and the performance-enhancing erythropoietin (EPO).
Yegorova tested positive for EPO at the Paris Golden League meeting in July and was initially suspended from the world championships in Edmonton earlier this month, but was later cleared to compete because the test did not conform to International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards.
Coach Valery Kulichenko said today the federation had already taken legal advice over accusations made by Olympic 5,000 metres champion Szabo and her manager Jos Hermans.
"Our athletics federation president Valentin Balakhnichyov said that we might sue Szabo's manager for defamation," he said.
"Every lawyer we talked to told us that this case is a sure bet. We can't lose."
Once Yegorova was reinstated, Romanian Szabo said she would not defend her 5,000 metres title and questioned the Russian's dramatic improvement over the previous year.
She later changed her mind and finished eighth in the final, which Yegorova won.
Improve performances
Asked if Yegorova had taken EPO, which can dramatically improve performances in long-distance running by artificially increasing the number of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, Kulichenko said it was too expensive for her.
"In our national team, Olga did not take the drug which has been mentioned. It is so expensive we just don't have the money to buy it," he said.
Yegorova, who has always denied using the drug and underwent another test in Edmonton which was negative, was also the subject of a trackside protest by British team captain Paula Radcliffe.