Andrew Triggs-Hodge says political controversies surrounding the Beijing Olympics would not diminish the achievement of winning gold in China.

He is one of eight rowers bidding for a seat in the blue riband coxless fours event in August.

Hollywood film director Steven Spielberg recently quit his post as an artistic adviser for the 2008 Games in protest against China's stance on the humanitarian crisis in the western Darfur region of Sudan.

Questions have been raised over the effectiveness of drug testing techniques in Beijing in light of the difficulties in detecting athletes using human growth hormone.

But Triggs-Hodge said: "As an athlete I have to trust all the systems in place.

"If there are people out there using drugs I have to trust they are caught.

"I can only keep training as hard as I can.

"Hopefully, it all measures up as a level playing field when we get on the start line.

"I cannot affect the decision makers at the International Olympic Committee. They chose Beijing.

"They have selected a venue for me to try and show the world what my dedication over the last four years has been all about.

"A gold medal is still a gold medal wherever it is won. They can't take that away from you."