IAAF: USOC respected rules in clearing Lewis and others

LONDON -- The U.S. Olympic Committee was right to clear Carl Lewis and other Americans after positive drug tests in 1988, track and field's world governing body ruled Wednesday.

The USOC followed the rules in dealing with eight positive cases for stimulants at the 1988 Olympic trials, the International Association of Athletics Federations said.

According to documents released by Dr. Wade Exum, the USOC's former director for drug control, U.S. athletes tested positive for drugs more than 100 times from 1988-2000. Only a handful were barred from competing and 19 went on to win medals.

Exum said Lewis, a nine-time Olympic champion, tested positive three times at the trials for small amounts of banned stimulants. The USOC first disqualified Lewis, then reversed itself after he appealed, claiming inadvertent use.

"This decision validates our position and clearly illustrates that the rules that were in place in 1988 were followed," USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel said.

But World Anti-Doping Agency chief Dick Pound insisted the USOC acted improperly and the athletes should have been disqualified from the Olympics.

"There are people who probably should have been on the U.S. Olympic team who didn't make it because other people were using drugs," he said.

Exum has indicated he released the documents to reform the system, but Seibel said anti-drug rules in the United States and around the world already have undergone many changes since 2000.

Lewis won two gold medals in Seoul, in the long jump and the 100 meters. He was awarded the 100 gold after Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was stripped of the medal for a positive steroid test.

Exum's documents have led to accusations around the world that the USOC covered up positive tests and that Lewis and others should have been barred from competing.

"The IAAF is concerned that the continuing controversy over these cases is tarnishing the image of the sport unnecessarily and wishes to make its position clear based on what actually happened in 1988," the IAAF said.

The federation said it had reviewed the relevant documents from 1988 and found that, although the athletes' names were not disclosed, the IAAF was informed of eight positive findings for ephedrine and ephedrine-related compounds "in low concentrations."

"The IAAF medical committee felt satisfied, however, on the basis of the information received that the cases had been properly concluded by the USOC as 'negative cases' in accordance with the rules and regulations in place at the time and no further action was taken," the statement said.

The IAAF said the athletes who went on to compete in Seoul were "eligible to do in accordance with IAAF rules."

Baaron Pittenger, who was executive director of the USOC in 1988, said last week that an investigation at the time concluded the level of banned stimulants found in Lewis' system was not significant enough to be performance-enhancing. That prompted the USOC to reverse its decision.

"The rules at the time called for us to determine intent. These levels were less than 10 micrograms per milliliter, consistent with accidental use," he said.

Pound, a senior IOC member from Canada, said he has written IOC president Jacques Rogge urging an independent inquiry. He said WADA is willing to carry out an investigation if asked.

"I remain very troubled by the whole thing," he added. "There was certainly an enormous lack of transparency. Somebody has to say, 'Look, this is probably not the way it ought to have been handled.'"

OLYMPICS