Australian sports minister Andrew Thomson has asked Athletics Australia to make further checks on former East German trainer Ekkart Arbeit, who has been appointed as Australia's national coach for the next four years.

News of Arbeit's appointment sparked an angry reaction from Australian athletes, coaches and Olympic officials in light of documentary evidence that East Germany relied on a systematic doping programme.

Thomson told reporters yesterday that he was not satisfied with "anecdotal" checks on Arbeit.

"It was not a formal accreditation approach," Thomson said. "They were given some ancedotal evidence as to his good character and his qualifications and it is not enough, it has to be more than anecdotal.

"I have asked them to make sure in this review that there be some formality - that the German athletics federation provide some certainty for us."

Arbeit, 56, was head coach for throwing events for the East German team between 1982 and 1988 and overall team coach for the former communist state in 1989-90. He has consistently denied being involved in doping.

Leading Australian athletes, including world 400 metres champion Cathy Freeman and marathon runner Steve Moneghetti, have said they will refuse to train under Arbeit.

Australia's highest-ranked International Olympic Committee member, executive board member Kevan Gosper, said Arbeit's appointment threatened to tarnish Australia's sporting image.

"Unless they can get the support of the coaches and athletes in Australia, there's no point in Dr Arbeit coming," added Michael Knight, president of the Sydney 2000 Olympic organising committee.

Thomson, son of five times British Open golf champion Peter, said the Arbeit review would be conducted by a three-strong panel comprising representatives of Athletics Australia, the Australian Sports Commission and an independent arbiter.

Thomson said there must be no doubt about the background of Australia's head athletics coach.

"If there is some doubt, that would taint every other coach beneath him or her. If the head coach is pristine and has full public confidence and we are confident in the system of checking other coaches lower in the hierachy, that should be sufficient."

Thomson said he had asked the review panel to ask whether Arbeit had ever sought permission to coach at a national level in Germany.

"To me, it seems obvious, that is the litmus test. The authorities of the Federal Republic of Germany know the most about who was involved in what."

But Athletics Australia, while agreeing to the review, said it was confident Arbeit would still be a candidate for the top athletics coaching job.

"I am confident Dr Arbeit is a man of sound character and I am fairly confident that the checks we will be making . . . will prove Dr Arbeit is still an eligible candidate," said executive director Martin Soust.