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Coach banned from contacting daughter

Kateryna Zubkova of Ukraine leaves the pool after the women's 50m backstroke heat in Melbourne yesterday. PHOTO: AFP

A Ukraine team official was banned from making any contact with his daughter after a television network aired footage of him assaulting the swimmer at the world championships.

The intervention order prevents the 38-year-old man, who has already been stripped of his accreditation, from coming within 200m of his daughter, Victoria state police said yesterday.

The pair were identified by local media as 20-year-old backstroker Kateryna Zubkov and her father Mihail Zubkov, 38, who is also her coach.

Police spokeswoman Stacey Mair said the intervention order was issued under Australia's Family Law, which prevents police from publicly naming either the offender or victim.

The footage, captured by host broadcaster Nine Network on Tuesday, clearly showed a physical altercation between the two in a room at the Rod Laver Arena swimming venue.

The man was seen swinging and trying to aggressively grab his daughter against her will, and the footage concluded with the father attempting to comfort the swimmer by embracing her on the floor. The altercation ended when Nine Network staff alerted police.

The pair were identified by police and questioned on Tuesday night. The woman did not require any medical treatment.

The father will appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court today, where police will seek to extend his intervention order until he leaves Australia at the end of the week. Mair added that a criminal investigation into the matter was continuing and police had not determined whether criminal charges would be laid.

World swimming governing body FINA is conducting its own investigation into the matter and will hold a disciplinary hearing.

"FINA, the international federation, was convening a disciplinary hearing today and they will announce the outcome of that hopefully sometime today," Michael Scott, chief executive of the meet organizer, the Melbourne 2007 World Swimming Championship Corporation, told a Melbourne radio station yesterday.

Kateryna Zubkova won her 50m backstroke heat yesterday, but did not qualify for the semi-finals.
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