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U.S. drug chief seeks tougher testing for Olympic athletes
Senate hears testimonyOctober 20, 1999
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A proposal to make U.S. Olympic athletes subject to drug testing at any time -- not just when they are in competition -- has won the support of gold medal marathon runner Frank Shorter and White House drug policy chief Barry McCaffrey. Both were among the witnesses who testified Wednesday before a Senate committee looking into the use of performance-enhancing drugs in Olympic competition. "What we need to do is test year-round (and) preserve scientific samples so that later on -- no statute of limitations -- if we've found out that you've won by cheating we'll strip you of your honors," McCaffrey told CNN in advance of the congressional hearing.
Shorter says he lost to a drug userIf such a policy had been in place earlier, Shorter, who won gold at the 1972 Olympics, might have repeated the performance four years later. Instead, he came in second -- beaten by an East German. The East German team, it turns out, had a massive drug program. "There are documents that show just about everyone on (East Germany's) 1976 Olympic team ... was on this program. We have a list," Shorter told CNN. "The fellow who finished ahead of me (was) on the list." Tests for "doping," as it's called, were first conducted by Olympic officials at the 1968 Games, but such testing is believed to miss far more offenders than it catches. "You can't expect to catch anyone but the stupid cheaters at the point of competition, after the race has been run," said McCaffrey. "We have to still test them at that point but you really have to deter the use of (muscle-building) steroids and other drugs ... throughout the year."
IOC seeks new drug testing agencyWhile recent Olympic bidding scandals have made the International Olympic Committee anxious to polish its image, McCaffrey does not trust the IOC to set up its own drug testing agency as it has set out to do in time for next year's Games in Sydney, Australia. He prefers such an anti-doping agency be fully independent from the IOC. Whatever the outcome, Shorter said athletes should accept a stricter drug testing policy. "What you have to establish, I feel, is that participation in international sports -- and, I think, in all sports in a way -- is a privilege and not a right." Perhaps, but civil rights groups are almost certain to take court action, viewing any extensive new drug testing plan as an invasion of privacy. Senior Washington Correspondent Charles Bierbauer contributed to this report. RELATED STORIES: Dossiers on Olympic officials compiled by Atlanta bidders, documents show RELATED SITES: United States Olympic Committee - USOC - Olympics Online
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