Former chairman Siddiqi blasts national governing body for modern pentathlon

The newly formed national governing body for modern pentathlon lacks quality coaching and isn’t developing athletes, who receive positions “on a sense of entitlement rather than performance,” the group’s former chairman, Atif Siddiqi, wrote in his resignation letter.

Siddiqi blasted Colorado Springs-based USA Pentathlon for poor management, a lack of oversight and financial carelessness in a Sept. 25 letter to Eric Parthen, the U.S. Olympic Committee’s director of NGB organizational development. Siddiqi was replaced last week by former Colorado Springs resident Barry Matchett.

Nine people with modern pentathlon ties, including four Olympians, sent a letter Monday to USOC chief of sport performance Mike English, requesting a public hearing by Dec. 3 to address “the merit and substance of the issues” in Siddiqi’s letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Gazette. The USOC held four hearings on the five-sport event earlier this year.

USA Pentathlon chief executive officer Brad Camp, with only an administrative assistant and an intern on his staff, hasn’t submitted plans for coaching, high performance or youth development to the board, down three members who resigned last month, Siddiqi wrote.

Siddiqi questioned USA Pentathlon spending $70,000 on athlete development, “without budgetary and performance evaluation.” He wrote that “a culture of nonperformance is rewarded and indeed actively encouraged. … Turnaround by 2012 seems remote at best unless considerable changes are implemented.”

Judo players triumph
Olympic Training Center judo player Christal Ransom won a silver medal Sunday at the Rendez-Vous Canada in Montreal. Also from the OTC, Katie Sell claimed a bronze, and Samantha Bleier, Angela Marino and Toshiya Nishimura suffered first-round losses.

Bobsledder gets nod
OTC bobsledder Steven Holcomb received a bye onto the World Cup team Oct. 14 at the national selections in Lake Placid, N.Y. Holcomb won a world title in four man, a world bronze in two man and 11 World Cup medals last season.

Soccer player overseas
Cheyenne Mountain High School graduate Bryce Boarman begins competition Friday at the Paralympic soccer world championship in Arnhem, Netherlands. The U.S. opens pool play against Russia and Scotland.

Etc.
The U.S. Olympic Committee inked a five-year sport cooperation agreement with Russia. It also partnered with Northwestern’s business school to provide instruction for 29 USOC and Olympic national governing body leaders. … The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency teamed with English and Canadian groups to form an online database of prohibited substances. It also partnered with Discovery Education to provide curricula for middle school and high school students. … Dave Thomas succeeded the late Jimi Flowers as associate director of U.S. Paralympic swimming high performance. … Former OTC weightlifting coach Paul Fleschler opened Front Range Sports Performance & Fitness at 102 W. Colorado Ave.