CRIMINAL'S TORCH RELAY INVITATION REVOKED

SYDNEY: A former Olympian serving 12 years for heroin trafficking has had
his invitation to participate in the torch relay revoked.

Australian Olympic Committee secretary-general Craig McLatchey said
yesterday the AOC did not know that Warren Austin Richards, 49, was serving
his sentence in Sydney's Long Bay jail for conspiracy to import prohibited
substances.

Richards competed for Australia in judo at the 1976 Olympic Games and was
one of 1800 Olympians invited to carry the torch throughout Australia.

Mr McLatchey said yesterday the AOC had requested Sydney Olympic organisers
revoke the invitation on discovering Richards's background.

"I think if we had the torch relay having to be rerouted through Long Bay
Jail, that may be embarrassing. I don't find this embarrassing," he said.

Richards was first arrested in 1974 and has been mentioned in evidence in
numerous court hearings on the 1986 unsolved murder of prostitute
Sallie-Anne Huckstepp, as recently as last year.

While the AOC was unaware of Richards's activities, it knew of the pasts of
rowers and former policemen Mervyn Wood and Murray Riley, which was why
they were not asked to carry the torch.

Wood won gold in 1948 and silver in 1952 in the single sculls and bronze
with Riley in the double sculls at Melbourne.

Riley became one of Sydney's most notorious criminals. He is in jail in
England.

Wood became NSW police commissioner in 1977, but his career was dogged by
controversy.

He was committed for trial in 1989 on two counts of perverting the course
of justice. However, the charges were dropped in 1991.

McLatchey said, "I can confirm they were not personally invited. For some
time now, we have had cause not to communicate directly with them."

Richards's invitation was sent to a residential address in Croydon Park, in
Sydney's west, which was on the AOC's database.

Richards also paid more than $300 to buy the torch he was to carry. The
money will be refunded to him.

Mr McLatchey saw no need to apologise or lay blame.

"We ... have over 1800 Olympians on our books.

"Am I going to haul across the coals our staff for not being aware of one
name in a mass mailout? Of course I'm not. Was it an oversight? Yes. Have
we corrected it? Yes."

The AOC was not prepared to perform a detailed personal review of every
Olympian.

"Where do you draw the line? If some have traffic offences, are we going to
make sure they can't run?" he asked.

Ten thousand Australians will carry the torch after it arrives on June 8.