U.S. drug scandals spark IOC resentment
Olympic officials critical of U.S. testing methods

By Stephen Wilson
associated press

SYDNEY, Australia — News that world shot put champion C.J. Hunter — husband of Olympic sprinter Marion Jones — failed four drug tests and that more than a dozen other U.S. drug cases were suppressed has sparked a “we-told-you-so” barrage against the United States.

“There is a perception in Europe that while the U.S. is very critical and very aggressive toward people who have responsibility for anti-doping, there isn’t a lot of evidence there has been a big focus on the problem in the U.S.,” said Kevan Gosper, an International Olympic Committee vice president from Australia. “Some of the most high-profile sports in the U.S. on the Olympic program do not submit themselves to vigorous anti-doping tests.

Maybe it needs something like this for the Americans to take a hard look at themselves.”

The drug scandals have given International Olympic Committee officials ammunition to express the lingering anti-American resentment related to the Salt Lake City bribery case.

IOC members are still angry at being portrayed as corrupt as a whole. They’re also still bitter over the scathing attacks by U.S. lawmakers and White House drug chief Barry McCaffrey, who said the IOC was unfit, unwilling and unable to lead the fight against drugs. While McCaffrey has recently praised the IOC’s new anti-doping efforts, all has not been forgiven.

Even China, frequently targeted by U.S. swim coaches as being lax on drugs, has weighed in.

He Huixian, a spokeswoman for the Chinese Olympic Committee, said by suppressing Hunter’s positive tests, U.S. track officials showed a lack of resolve in fighting doping.

“Only by properly managing your own affairs, with everybody doing a good job of their own anti-doping work, can this big cancer be eradicated,” he said. “You must start with yourself.”

IOC vice president Dick Pound, a Canadian who never misses a chance to criticize the United States, said the country is in a “state of denial” about the drug problem.

“The United States has been very slow to recognize there is a problem in the U.S.,” he said.

International officials are always quick to point out the lack of comprehensive testing for performance-enhancing drugs in American pro football, basketball, baseball, basketball and hockey.

“Everything is permitted in professional sports,” Italian Olympic Committee official Luciano Barra said. “They should not be the first to accuse others.”

That perception is recognized by Bob Ctvrtlik, a former U.S. volleyball star who was appointed last year as an IOC member.

“In American sports we don’t have a handle on everything,” he said. “But on an amateur and Olympic level, a huge effort is being made.

“It’s a shame one guy’s mistake has tarnished that,” Ctvrtlik added, referring to the Hunter case. “But any time you’re the No. 1 medal winner and you dominate certain events, these things will be said.

The lightning rod for criticism in Sydney has been USA Track & Field, along with its executive director, former miler Craig Masback.

The IAAF has accused the national federation of suppressing 12 to 15 positive drug cases in the last two years.

Several senior IOC officials said they were shocked that Hunter could have tested positive four times for steroids this summer and still remained on the U.S. Olympic team. He withdrew from the team a few days before the games, citing a knee injury.

Hunter’s positive tests were disclosed only after a flurry of media reports and speculation.

Masback said USATF is bound by confidentiality rules and cannot disclose positive cases until after due process is completed.

“I regret that we are made the scapegoat for what has been perceived as U.S. misdeeds of all varieties,” he said. “We’re not responsible for the Salt Lake City scandal or comments by the White House drug czar. I have never said our system is perfect. We have never ever pointed any fingers.”

Masback said USATF has tested more athletes for more drugs for a longer period than any other sports organization.

“I have one question for the IAAF and the IOC: What about the fact that 200 of the 211 IAAF members don’t test?” he questioned. “Where’s the outrage about that?”.

Similar problems involved in crash

By Randolph E. Schmid
Associated Press

WASHINGTON — The Learjet that carried golfer Payne Stewart to his death last October — probably after losing cabin pressure — had previous problems with its cabin pressure system, maintenance logs show.

On Feb. 9, 1998, a pilot reported that the plane sometimes would not hold cabin pressure at low altitude, and in July 1999, mechanics again were asked to check the system, according to maintenance reports released Wednesday by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The logs also showed that a valve had to be replaced following in-flight loss of cabin pressure on June 28, 1989.

The plane Stewart was on departed Orlando, Fla., on Oct. 25, for Dallas. Radio contact was lost with the plane as it passed north of Gainesville, Fla.

The flight continued on autopilot until it ran out of gas and crashed near Aberdeen, S.D. There has been speculation that the cabin pressure system failed, causing the crew and passengers to pass out from loss of oxygen.

The crash destroyed or damaged several parts of the oxygen and pressure systems; some remain missing.

The NTSB, which continues to investigate the accident, has released, without comment, a series of reports on the crash describing the findings of various teams of analysts.

The plane was operated by Sunjet Aviation Inc., which had done a repurchase inspection on the plane on Feb. 8, 1999. Since then, company records showed there had been a repair on a cabin door, some service was done on emergency air lines, an oxygen bottle line was replaced and a flow valve was cleaned.

On Oct. 12, two weeks before the crash, a bleed air leak was found in the plane’s tail and was repaired by replacing a gasket. Bleed air is drawn from the plane’s engines to increase the pressure inside the cabin.

The day before the accident, Sunjet maintenance workers fixed an engine power problem by replacing a fuel flow valve, the report showed. The morning of the crash the plane was flown to Orlando at altitudes of 12,000 feet to 13,000 feet with no pressure problems reported.

Airplanes are pressurized so that the atmosphere inside never feels higher than about 8,000 feet, even if the aircraft is flying much higher.

The FAA has reported that Stewart’s plane climbed as high as 51,000 feet during its flight across the nation’s heartland.

The jet flew four hours and 1,400 miles before it crashed in South Dakota..

Since the much anticipated start of the Western Athletic Conference portion of the schedule, the Volley Frogs have learned something important about their game.

“We need a confidence boost,” head coach Sandy Troudt said. “Our leaders need to find their place throughout our games.”

On Tuesday the Frogs had their three-match winning streak snapped when they lost to Southwest Texas. TCU’s loss against the Bobcats left the Frogs at 9-7 on the season.

SWT won its seventh match in a row, improving to a 13-3 overall record.

Although the Frogs took an early 5-1 lead in the first game, TCU’s attack errors and lack of effective hitting gave SWT the opportunity to win the first game 15-10.

“What went wrong last night is not one thing we can put a Band-Aid on and fix,” Troudt said. “Southwest Texas played out of their heads, and we couldn’t answer them. Tuesday night was a slide backward for us.”

Troudt said although the team’s usual leaders, senior outside hitter Amy Atamanczuk and junior outside hitter Marci King, started slow they were able to end the night well.

Troudt said one or two players can’t continue to lead the rest of the team, but she expects leaders to emerge after some of the younger players gain confidence.

In the second game against the Bobcats, the Frogs were able to stay in the game, but couldn’t defend well enough win. SWT eventually won the second game 15-11.

“We were playing reactive volleyball,” Troudt said. “We never answered their plays. We definitely let them outplay us.”

Troudt said she doesn’t believe the team overlooked SWT because they don’t play in the WAC.

“We believe everyday is huge, including practices,” Troudt said. “We stress improvement all the time, not only during WAC games.”

The next WAC game for the Volley Frogs will be at 7 p.m. Saturday at Tulsa, whose 10-2 start this season is its best in school history.

Assistant coach Barbara Kovacs said she hopes the team can take care of their own game. “We want TCU volleyball only to worry about TCU volleyball,” Kovacs said. “We need to play at our highest potential, and Tulsa will be a great opportunity for that.”

Troudt said Tulsa’s senior outside hitter Kristien Van Lierop will pose the greatest challenge for the Frogs.

“They are a better team this year (than last year),” Troudt said. “If we are where we should be mentally, then all we have to do is make their blockers move and defend our side of the court.”

Colleen Casey
c.m.casey@student.tcu.edu.

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