The world's top swimming coaches are planning a coup which could split the sport just days before the World Championships begin in Perth, Western Australia, next month.

John Leonard, the outspoken head of the American Swimming Coaches' Association, has thrown down the gauntlet to the world governing body, FINA, accusing its officials of having "allowed our sport to degenerate into a drug-filled morass that sometimes seems impossible to extricate ourselves from."

Leonard's proposals could see a new body set up, the World Swimming Organisation, which will aim for drug-free competition; representation of swimmers and coaches on the world body; and financial rewards for top performers.

More than 3,000 have signed the document, including 900 Olympians and their coaches. Among the strongest advocates of Leonard's breakaway plan are coaches in Canada, Australia and the United States, who were the three powers of swimming until the 1994 World Championships when Chinese women took 12 of the available 16 titles.

A year later, seven Chinese swimmers failed drug tests. As a result, China was excluded from the 1995 Pan-Pacific Championships. They had an unusually-poor Olympics in Atlanta, but two months ago, more record-breaking performances at their national games revived suspicions that Chinese performances were due to more than simple hard work.

"We have seen it happen before, with East Germany," Leonard said "There is no reason why we should stand by and watch it happen all over again."

FINA has always emphasised the integrity of its testing, and has had an international drug tester stationed in Beijing for the past two years. Yet cynicism prevails, buoyed by regular reports of missed drug tests by top swimmers, not only from China.

--Guardian Service.