Drugs, Olympics and the USA

Mark's View: Olympics, Drugs and the USA

The drug wars exploded this week in Sydney. And the United States came out a loser.

With the news that shot-putter C.J. Hunter tested positive for drugs during a need in July, a pall was cast over U.S. track and field officials. Reports have circulated that Hunter failed not just one test, but four, with the steroid nandrolene in his system. Hunter withdrew from the Olympics, citing a knee injury and it turned out to be a slight blessing he did.

The result of the news (which the International Olympic Committee evidently kept secret until the right time) created unfair speculation that Hunter's wife, the sprinter Marion Jones may be "tainted." There is no evidence to this charge and Jones' integrity should not be impugned as thus far, she has tested negative for drugs. But the two bodies having jurisdiction over drug matters -- the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Track come out with more egg on their faces. Many in the international sports community have chafed under the Americans' pontification against drug use and their criticisms of athletes from other countries who have been caught or suspected taking performance-enhancing drugs.

Some have accused of U.S. Officials lax enforcement on drug testing, charges which were angrily rejected by Craig Mosbach, the head of USA Track. Denying the notion that the books were "cooked" on drug testing, USA Track and U.S. Olympic Committee officials countered that the IOC's laboratories were often inaccurate. And for the Salt Lake City games, an independent agency will handle all drug tests.

The whole episode has become a sordid one. I am not here to shovel any more blame, but instead to think about how testing can be improved and how the IOC and the U.S. sports officials can come up to a more effective way to prevent (or largely prevent) the use of such drugs.

Here are a few ideas:

1. Hire a top-notch laboratory and a blue-ribbon group of drug testing experts from government, industry. Many sensitive jobs require random drug tests both in government and in industry. Do not rely on either the IOC nor USOC pals to be involved.

2. Expedite the process. For U.S. athletes, before the results become public there can be a lengthy appeals process and during that time, the information is confidential. According to a report in the New York Times, some appeals can go on for up to four years. For the year before the Olympics, drug test results will have to be released much quicker. If they are top-notch and above-board, the athletes should sacrifice some of their privacy rights.

3. Even though Olympic teams are usually not chosen until a short time before the event, the world-class athletes competing for Olympic slots are subject to the rules of the governing bodies for their sports. For six months before the Olympics, drug testing has to be given randomly beginning a specified period of time before a competition.

For a complete list of banned substances, click: http://www.nodoping.org/medch2_e.html