Rogge declares war on drugs

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) -- Only five drug cases have been confirmed at the Winter Olympics, none the past three games.

The streak could end in Salt Lake City, where the chances of catching drug cheats are much greater because of the most rigorous Olympic testing program ever. It includes widespread checks for the endurance-boosting hormone EPO.

In the past, the International Olympic Committee has been accused of ignoring the drug problem or, at worst, covering up positive tests to protect the image of the games.

But new IOC president Jacques Rogge says he relishes the prospect of nabbing as many offenders as possible.

"If you test more, you have more chances to get a positive case," he said. "If tomorrow, I can catch 50, I'd be happy. I prefer no athlete to cheat, but you have to be realistic. If you can find 50, it means you've eliminated 50 cheats.

"Every athlete you catch is a good thing for sport. The more cheats we catch, the more deterrent there will be."

While officials often cite the goal of ensuring a "drug-free" Olympics, Rogge takes a more practical view.

"It would be naive to think that there would be 100 percent drug-free games," he said. "We are speaking about 2,500 athletes. Here and there, there will always be a stupid one who wants to cheat."

For the first time, all endurance athletes -- 700-800 competitors in cross-country skiing, biathlon, Nordic combined and speedskating -- will be tested for EPO, or erythropoietin.

EPO, one of the most widely abused drugs in sports, enhances endurance by stimulating the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells. It has been linked particularly with cycling and long-distance running, but also is believed popular in a number of winter sports.

At last year's World Cross-Country Ski Championships in Lahti, Finland, six top Finnish athletes tested positive for a banned agent which could mask the use of EPO.

Athletes in Salt Lake City will undergo a combined blood-urine test, similar to the EPO controls introduced for the first time at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Around 300 EPO tests were conducted in Sydney, while more than double that number will be carried out in Salt Lake City.

The IOC had hoped to have a urine-only EPO test ready for the Winter Games but decided more time was needed to perfect the procedure.

The Sydney test, criticized as bulky and ineffective, produced no positive findings. But the IOC said the test acted as a powerful deterrent, and a number of athletes pulled out before the games rather than risk getting caught.

While the Sydney test could detect the use of EPO going back only three days, the IOC says the current procedure can stretch back about five days.

"It's the best science can give us," Rogge said. "I'd love to have a window of two weeks, but science can't give us that."

The IOC plans to target many of its EPO controls in out-of-competition tests, considered the most effective way of catching users.

"The athlete doesn't know exactly when you are going to pass by, and that's a major deterrent," Rogge said.

Several layers of drug testing will be implemented for the Salt Lake City Games.

The World Anti-Doping Agency, which coordinates a global out-of-competition testing program, says it will have completed 3,500 tests by the start of the games. WADA has already recorded 24 suspected positive results.

WADA hands over all testing to the IOC on Jan. 29 when the Olympic Village opens. During the games, as in Sydney, WADA observers will monitor the entire chain of drug-testing procedures.

The IOC will start its out-of-competition tests Jan. 29.

In addition, endurance athletes will undergo blood tests at least one day before competitions. If the blood sample shows abnormal results, the athlete's urine sample will be analyzed. If the urine sample is positive, then the IOC deems it a doping case - and the athlete can be disqualified.

In another first, athletes can face blood tests on the morning of competition, similar to pre-race tests already implemented in cycling. If the red blood cell count is above the established limit, the athlete is barred from competing on that day for "health reasons."

These so-called 'no start' tests will be run by the international sports federations, rather than the IOC. Subsequent urine tests will be conducted to back up any positive blood results.

The IOC will also carry out about 700 standard in-competition urine tests during the games, Feb. 8-24. These controls cover the top four finishers and two chosen by random.

Besides steroids, stimulants and other banned substances, the IOC will also test for cannabis.

At the 1998 Nagano Olympics, Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati was temporarily stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for marijuana. He was reinstated because cannabis wasn't officially on the banned list.

"We don't want to happen what happened in Nagano," IOC medical director Patrick Schamasch said. "Cannabis is on the list for the games. It will be searched for and may lead to sanctions."

The IOC has also repeatedly warned athletes against using nutritional supplements. A wave of positive tests for the steroid nandrolone have been blamed on over-the-counter supplements, but under IOC rules, athletes are responsible for any substance found in their body.

NHL players, competing in the Olympics for the second time, have been warned against the use of Sudafed, a cold remedy that contains banned stimulants.

All drug samples will be analyzed at a temporary lab run by UCLA drug testing experts near the Olympic Village.

The IOC has instituted a streamlined process for dealing with any positive cases, assigning a small panel, rather than the entire medical commission, to conduct hearings. A final decision on doping sanctions still rests with the IOC executive board.

The IOC is prohibiting the use of oxygen devices at competition venues and the athletes' village. The move came in response to the increasing use of altitude tents, hyperbaric chambers and other systems that simulate oxygen-thin conditions and stimulate red blood-cell growth.

"When you go to some cross-country ski events, it looks like a caravan camp site," Schamasch said. "For us, it's not sport. If we don't take action, what's to stop some skier from wearing an oxygen tank on his back?"

 

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