USOC and performace enhancing drugs

[renata]

This is very disappointing. Carl Lewis! The man is a legend. For people who know- how likely is that these results are one time blips, or due to innocuos causes?

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/si_online/scorecard/news/2003/04/15/sc/

As the USOC's director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, Dr. Wade Exum worked behind the curtain that separates fact from rumor in the world of drug testing. He started the job as a crusader, but he left it embittered and disillusioned. He also left with 30,000 pages of documents that he says prove that the USOC ran an ineffective testing program and encouraged the use of performance-enhancing drugs by not punishing those who tested positive.

.....

Exum's papers cite more than 100 positive drug tests for U.S. athletes from 1988 to 2000. In many of these cases, he says, the athletes were not prevented from competing. Included in the documents are test results, memos or letters indicating drug positives for athletes who won 19 Olympic medals from 1984 to 2000 and at least 18 athletes who tested positive in the Olympic trials and were allowed to compete in the Games. Among the biggest names:

Carl Lewis. At the 1988 Olympic trials he tested positive three times for small amounts of banned stimulants found in cold medications: pseudoephedrine, ephedrine and phenylpropanolamine. After first disqualifying Lewis from the Olympics, the USOC accepted his appeal on the basis of inadvertent use. Lewis went on to win gold at Seoul in the 100 meters and long jump. Lewis could not be reached, but his longtime manager, Joe Douglas, said Lewis had not taken anything to enhance his performance.

Joe DeLoach. Lewis's training partner won the 200 at the '88 trials and tested positive for the same three stimulants as Lewis. He was excused for the same reason and then upset Lewis in the 200 to win gold in Seoul. DeLoach could not be reached for comment.

Andre Phillips. He tested positive for pseudoephedrine at the '88 track trials, won an appeal and beat Edwin Moses in the 400-meter hurdles in Seoul. Phillips declined to comment to SI.

Mary Joe Fernandez. The pro tennis player tested positive for pseudoephedrine before the '92 Olympics, was not disciplined and won gold and bronze medals at the Games. Reached by SI on Monday, Fernandez blamed the positive result on cold medication she had taken.

Alexi Lalas. In '92 the soccer star was found to have an elevated ratio of testosterone to epitestosterone, which can indicate steroid use. Nevertheless, Lalas was allowed to compete at the '92 Olympics. Though Lalas could not be reached, his agent, Richard Motzkin, says the positive was "a onetime blip" not caused by steroid use.

Dave Schultz. The '84 wrestling gold medalist tested positive for the stimulant phentermine in '93. USA Wrestling issued a letter of reprimand but let him compete. Schultz was shot to death in '96 by wrestling benefactor John du Pont.
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[Aoidoi]

One time blips is pretty unlikely if they failed 3 in a row. Given a 99% success rate on a single test (not sure of actual numbers, others can correct if wrong this is unreasonable) the chance of failing 3 independent tests while clean would be .01^3 = .000001 or .0001%.

As to innocuous causes... well, that's kind of hard to say. Since Carl Lewis tested positive for drugs found in cold medicine it doesn't seem too much of a stretch to imagine an accidental dosing. Or he could simply have used them with the ready made excuse if he got caught. No idea how to judge if this is reasonable or likely.

Since I was expecting rampant steroid abuse I suppose I find the cold medicine theory fairly palatable, but I have no basis to judge it's likelihood.

[renata]

I do not understand the cold medicine excuse. My understanding is the Olympic athletes have every second of their life controlled by coaches, doctors, nutritionists, etc. The diets, I am sure are very strict and developed. How could they not know that cold medicine contain performance enhancing components. I mean if a high school or even a college athletes did not know- that would make sense. But these are elite athletes who dedicated their lives in pursuit of Olympic gold- how can they not know? That, in particular seems like a week excuse. I remember when Ben Johnson was caught, how he claimed someone poisoned his water. This cld medicine excuse rings about just as truthful.

[a_unique_person]

Everyone knows the Olympics is riddled with drugs. The whole point is to not get caught. The Olympic committe itself has gone out of it's way to ensure that people don't get caught, or if they are, they don't matter.

Juan Antonio knew which side his bread was buttered on.

Flo Jo is the most famous example of someone who was obviously totally reliant on them, and never getting caught. The oversized jaw, and early death of someone who should be been supremely fit, were clear indicators of habitual drug use.

Anyone who doesn't think there are drugs in the olympics is just being naive.

[a_unique_person]

Originally posted by Aoidoi
One time blips is pretty unlikely if they failed 3 in a row. Given a 99% success rate on a single test (not sure of actual numbers, others can correct if wrong this is unreasonable) the chance of failing 3 independent tests while clean would be .01^3 = .000001 or .0001%.

As to innocuous causes... well, that's kind of hard to say. Since Carl Lewis tested positive for drugs found in cold medicine it doesn't seem too much of a stretch to imagine an accidental dosing. Or he could simply have used them with the ready made excuse if he got caught. No idea how to judge if this is reasonable or likely.

Since I was expecting rampant steroid abuse I suppose I find the cold medicine theory fairly palatable, but I have no basis to judge it's likelihood.

As for the cold theory, I have never known a group of people to get ill so much, and not know that the cold tablets should not be taken when they are ill. It is so much hooey.

Let me state it simply so you all understand, most elite athletes use drugs. Cycling is one sport where they have been dropping like flies, for example.