Phoenix – The U.S. Olympic movement has “gained the uphill advantage” in its war against steroids, mainly by ramping up surprise drug tests that have helped snare 36 athletes in the past 12 months, the chairman of the U.S. Anti- Doping Agency said Saturday.
“Are we winning the battle? Can it be won? The answer is yes,” agency head Ralph Hale told the inaugural meeting of the U.S. Olympic Assembly. “But it’s not over yet.”
And one of those nabbed athletes – sprinter Kelli White – urged anti-doping authorities to extend their fight from the users to the pushers: the coaches behind some of America’s top amateur athletes.
“There were people around me who had bigger goals than I had for myself. I didn’t want to be a star. I didn’t want any of that,” White told the assembly. “I was approached by my coach. It came to me.”
Once a sure-shot medal threat for Athens, White is serving a two-year competition ban – the first athlete to be suspended based on information dredged up in the BALCO investigation. Her coach, Remy Korchemny, was indicted by a federal grand jury, along with BALCO founder Victor Conte and Greg Anderson, Barry Bonds’ trainer, for their roles in a network that allegedly distributed illegal drugs to dozens of baseball, football and track stars.
In recent months, White has stripped her soul bare in a roving mea culpa to various community groups, revealing her path to steroids and how three months on the drugs caused a raspy voice, a blood pressure spike and a twice-monthly menstruation cycle.
“I think I would make a very good case study for the negative effects of steroids,” White said. “I regret everything I did. I want to make sure I can do everything I can to repay the sport for my actions.”
Anti-doping watchdogs are feeling hopeful about their steady progress as well, primarily because the anti-doping agency has boosted its random testing – from 1,382 tests in 2001 to 3,330 in 2003 to 3,931 last year. Those “out of competition” checks at the homes and gyms of athletes are the truest way to catch drug users, Hale said.
USOC increases stipends
American Olympic hopefuls will receive twice as much money for monthly living expenses under a surprise resolution passed Saturday night during the USOC’s board of directors. The move, made in the final hour of the USOC’s semi-annual board meeting, is effective July 1 and should ease the financial struggles some athletes face by giving up careers to train for the Games.
Olympic hopefuls who are ranked internationally in their sport receive monthly stipends typically ranging from $500 to $1,000. But some national sports governing bodies, such as USA Weightlifting, have cut stipend amounts this year to shift money into incentive bonuses for medal-winning performances.
U.S. weightlifters Shane Hamman and Jackie Berube have said they are hard-pressed to pay for expenses including rent, food and gasoline.
The board’s decision will double the amount of “direct dollars” paid to athletes, said USOC spokesman Darryl Seibel. He declined to reveal in exact dollars the amount of increase.
“It’s the right thing for the organization to do,” said Jim Scherr, who Saturday was unanimously elected the USOC’s permanent chief executive. “We’re taking the lead to increase the commitment to Olympic and Paralympic athletes, which will dramatically improve their ability to succeed and achieve athletic excellence.
“We’ve talked for several years about placing athletes first, the organization is making that commitment.”
Bill Briggs can be reached at 303-820-1720 or bbriggs@denverpost.com.
