Drugs Hot Topic at Olympic Meeting
by Julian Linden

April 21, 1998 - Reuters

SYDNEY -- The burning issue of drugs in sport will be top of the agenda when International Olympic Committee (IOC) heavyweights meet in Sydney this week for a series of high-level talks on the 2000 Games.

Leading IOC members are pushing for the introduction of a new medical code to ensure that drug offenders are treated the same way regardless of their sport.

But a number of international sports federations have expressed concern about the plan, because of moves to outlaw "social drugs" such as marijuana.

The issue came to the fore at this year's Winter Olympics in Nagano when Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati tested positive for traces of cannabis.

Rebagliati was stripped of his gold medal then won it back after an arbitration panel ruled that he should not have been tested in the first place.

The IOC quickly set up a task force of its own four vice -presidents to formulate a policy on recreational drugs. The task force will report to the IOC executive board in Sydney next week and is expected to take a hard line.

Some international federations are against plans to include marijuana on the IOC's list of banned drugs because it has not been proven to enhance performance.

The issue is expected to be discussed at length over the next 10 days when the IOC meets with the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF) after a meeting of the IOC board.

The IOC will also be asked to introduce a cut-off date on the type of drugs to be tested and the technology used at the Sydney Olympic.

The Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) wants the IOC to implement a deadline so they can establish a watertight testing system.

However, demands for the cut-off date to be set in 1999 rule out any chance of the introduction of blood tests, which many feel are a more accurate way of detecting sophisticated human growth hormones and erythropoietin (EPO).

"The Olympics is not a technological trade fair, it is not a showcase of innovation," SOCOG chief executive Sandy Hollway said last week. "We want to put a high emphasis on technological reliability."

Also on the agenda next week is the expected announcement from the IOC that women's pole vault and women's hammer throw would be added to the track and field program for 2000.

IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch has been a long-time advocate of gender equality at the Games and is expected to announce their inclusion when the IOC executive board meets next week.

The first leg of the Olympic marathon starts Wednesday when the IOC Coordination Commission meets to examine Sydney's Games preparation.

Chaired by executive board member Jacques Rogge of Belgium, the commission will examine a range of issues including accommodation, ticketing and transportation.

back

In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107 and The Berne Convention on Literary and Artistic Works, Article 10, news clippings are made available without profit for research and educational purposes.