Diane Modahl will bring a case against the British Athletics Federation in November.

Modahl aims to prove that the five-man disciplinary committee who found her guilty of drug abuse in December 1994 did not give her a fair trial.

Modahl's husband, Vicente, says that the former Commonwealth 800 metre champion had the choice of starting the trial in July but chose to delay matters for a further four months to concentrate on preparation for the Olympics.

Modahl was given a four-year ban after high levels of testosterone were found in samples taken after a meeting in Lisbon in June 1994. A new panel quashed the ban in July 1995.

Swimming: An East German swim federation doctor accused of doping young swimmers in the former Communist state was convicted of causing bodily harm yesterday.

The state court in Berlin found Lothar Kipke (72) guilty of giving illegal substances surreptitiously to 58 teenage swimmers between 1975 and 1984, and handed down a 15-month suspended sentence. He was also ordered to pay a fine of £4,000.

Kipke was head physician of the mighty East German swim team that produced an astonishing number of world champions.

Cricket: Graeme Hick yesterday defended the negative tactics which prevented England claiming a possible morale-lifting victory over an Invitation XI ahead of tomorrow's final Test against South Africa at Centurion Park.

He said: "I didn't really think about declaring - the wicket was pretty flat and our aim was to score quick runs and then declare.

"But when you try and do that, particularly with some of our guys needing practice for the one-dayers, you are bound to lose wickets and when that happened we were caught in no-man's land."