Sporting heroes ‘not lily-white’

Press, 27 June 1989, Page 1

Sporting heroes ‘not lily-white’

By

DIANNA LESLIE

New Zealanders need to face the realities concerning their athletes’ drug abuse in sport, according to Graham May. May, the super-heavyweight gold medal-winning weightlifter at the 1974 Commonwealth Games in Christchurch, admitted he had used steroids when he appeared on the “Frontline" television programme on Sunday evening.

“People in New Zealand need to realise that their sporting heroes are not lily-white,” said May. “New Zealanders commit every other type of crime so why should their sporting people be any different?” May, a manager, of Christchurch, is prepared to return his medal if the New Zealand Olympic and Commonwealth Games Association (N.Z.0.C.G.A.) requests. “It is a conscience issue for myself. Honesty and integrity are more highly prized to me than a gold bauble.” May would not be drawn on other athletes’ involvement with steroids and left the New Zealand public to draw its own conclusions.

“I was pretty young, with only one overseas competition behind me. It is really up to the public to decide if I was the terrible individual or whether the issue is much wider than that.” Mr Bill Garlick, the chairman of the N.Z.0.C.G.A., considers the scientific, legal and practical details involved in researching the May case insurmountable. “It is nqt our role to pick on any one athlete. I doubt we will take any action because retrospectively there are a lot of obstacles to overcome to prove that Graham’s performance was enhanced by drugs at that stage.” Mr Garlick prefers to look ahead to education and prevention of drug abuse at the 1990 Commonwealth Games in Auckland, but he is willing to act as a confidant for any athletes who wanted to discuss their involvement in drug abuse. “If any athlete feels that their medal was won as a result of drug abuse or any other unfair method they can come to me personally in confidence,” he said.

Mr Garlick is. prepared to let sleeping dogs lie. "We prefer to direct our

mdney towards- current athletes and leave the history to people’s consciences,” he said.

Mr Gary Marshall, the New Zealand Weightlifting Association’s secretary, confirmed yesterday that the national weightlifting body will not take action against May. “It was a personal statement from Graham which is good,” he said. “There needs to be some honesty about. what has happened. The N.Z.W.A. won’t take steps against him.” ® In Wellington today, the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, suggested that tough drug tests for sports people would be more useful than a long-running public inquiry into steroid use. Mr Lange said the Hillary Commission survey of sporting drug use would be a good substitute for an inquiry, and that the Minister of Health, Ms Clark, was open to submissions on whether such drugs should be further restricted.

His own physique was a natural product, he said.

“I have to announce that my physical configuration owes nothing at all to anabolic steroids.”