The KGB in Belarus has arrested the head coach of the national track and field team, a local sports website reported Wednesday.
The circumstances of Anatoly Baduev's detention are unclear, including where and why he was seized, according to the website of one of the country's leading sports publications, Pressball.
A KGB spokesman, Alexander Antonovich, refused to comment when contacted by RIA Novosti.
But Pressball reported the arrest may be linked to an article it ran last week that claimed an unnamed individual within the athletics setup had attempted to extort bribes of up to $2,000 from Belarus' leading athletes.
The athletes were asked to fork over the money to bury positive doping test results from a Moscow lab, the report said last week.
Tuesday's report says Baduev is incriminated in two alleged offenses: extortion and misspending sponsorship funds raised by the deputy chairman of the Council of the National Assembly of the Republic of Belarus, Vladimir Potupchik.
It does not explicitly say that Baduev was the person extorting the money from the athletes. A new head coach is to be appointed later Wednesday, the report said.
Belarus is aiming for seven medals at the London Olympics.
