Head coach Mick Gannon and assistant Chris Bessey have been relieved of their duties by the Amateur Boxing Association of England (ABAE) pending a disciplinary hearing next month, the Independent on Sunday reported today.

The ABA chairman Keith Walters confirmed to the newspaper that the pair are now "on gardening leave" but declined to discuss details of the alleged offence except to say that it did not involve any sexual harassment.

It is the second time in less than a week that British coaches helping athletes prepare for the London 2012 Olympics have been suspended.

Last week Andrei Popov and Sergei Sizhanov - who are both Russian but have been funded by UK Sport's World-Class Performance programme since 2006 - were suspended by British Gymnastics following an incident at the World Championships in Rotterdam. 

In both cases, alcohol is understood to have been involved.

Gannon is a former Army PTI, and Bessey, who won six ABA titles at welterweight and light-middleweight, is a former warrant officer and Army coach who was awarded the MBE for services to boxing.

In September the women's squad returned from the World Championships in Barbados with two silver medals but neither Gannon nor Bessey were involved.

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