Pound attacks U.S. Track and Field
RALEIGH, North Carolina -- World Anti-Doping Agency chairman Dick Pound has urged the U.S. Olympic Committee to discipline American athletics' governing body over its handling of the Jerome Young doping case.
The 400m world champion tested positive for nandrolone in 1999, but his name was not released by USA Track and Field until he was named by a newspaper during August's world championships in Paris.
He had previously won a gold medal as part of the U.S. 4x400 relay team at the Sydney Olympics in 2000.
USATF has refused to release documents relating to the case to either the IOC, the USOC or athletics' governing body, the IAAF.
"I would be inclined to say 'if you are not willing to cooperate and follow the rules of your international federation you are not the right track and field association to be part of the USOC'," Pound told Reuters in an interview.
Pound also criticized USATF proposals to ban for life athletes who test positive for steroids, calling the plan "unenforceable".
The ban was approved by the USATF at its annual meeting, but will only come into effect if approved by the IAAF and found to be in compliance with the U.S. Amateur Sport Act.
"(USATF chief executive) Craig Masback is a very good lawyer and he knows perfectly well that's unenforceable," said Pound.
"If you enact legislation rule that you know are going to fail, that run counter to your international federation, that you know that the courts in your country and every other country in the world will not enforce, you are setting yourself up for failure.
"This is a federation that on the one hand is saying steroids are so bad you should be banned for life, but they are quite happy for Jerome Young to be running around with an Olympic medal around his neck."
But the IAAF on Monday welcomed the USATF's move.
"It certainly is a positive signal and indicates a desire and wish to show the world that they want to have a clean sport," IAAF general secretary Istvan Gyulai told Reuters in a telephone interview.
