Athletics drug use unlikely—coach

Press, 28 June 1989, Page 3

Athletics drug use unlikely—coach

By

GARY BIRKETT

Widespread use of performance-enhancing drugs by New Zealand track and field competitors is unlikely, according to a leading athletics coach, Mr Terry Lomax, of Christchurch.

Drug use was probably more extensive in power sports such as weightlifting, where competitors had long been aware of the benefits of steroids. Mr Lomax, who was the assistant track and field coach for New Zealand at last year’s Seoul Olympics, said performance levels in track and field indicated that drug use was minimal.

“We have so few worldranked athletes that widespread use is unlikely. If people are doing it they are not doing it very well. It is probably more prevalent in other sports where we are right up near the top.”

He confirmed that there were strong rumours in Seoul about New Zealand competitors being involved with steroids but he had not seen any drugtaking. “It would be unfair to say who the rumours were about. Until people come out and admit it themselves nothing can be proved.” Mr Lomax tutors promising young athletes and said some could be tempted to take drugs.

“It depends on what circles they mix in. I don’t know of any who are on steroids, but maybe some have thought about it.” Mr Lomax, a former national high-jump champion who competed at the Brisbane Commonwealth Games in 1982, said drug use was common among overseas athletes. “Very few of the top 5 per cent of athletes have not been involved in some sort of substance use. Ben Johnson was one of the few that have been caught,” Some drugs were impossible to detect — such as growth hormones, which were also produced naturally by the body. Increased amounts of growth hormones could lead to side-effects, however, such as square, jutting jaws and facial hair. Mr Lomax believes the random drug-testing programme will stamp out drug-taking in New Zealand. “Athletes would be stupid to take drugs now. They will almost certainly get caught.” Random testing will start next week-end at the

national winter swimming championships in Wellington.

This week-end doctors from throughout the country will attend a conference run by the New Zealand Sports Medicine Foundation in Wellington. They will be given refresher courses by the coordinator for drug testing at the Games, Dr Matt Marshall, of Whangarei.

Doctors will take their testing kits and return to their home centres to await notification of athletes to be tested. The athletes will be given 48 hours notice before visiting doctors to give a urine sample.

Dr Marshall said 400 tests would be done randomly and it was likely that all those who made the New Zealand team for the Games would be tested before the event started on January 26. Dr Rob Campbell and Dr John Lystogt will take urine samples in Christchurch.

The Press Association says that the suspended Canadian hurdler, Julie Rocheleau, has been accused of buying banned

growth hormone drugs less than three months before the Seoul Olympics.

The Canadian inquiry into drug use in amateur sports was told that a former Olympic weightlifter and a Montreal body builder helped the Canadian champion obtain the performance-enhancing drug and that Rocheleau used a false name to try to keep her reputation clean. Rocheleau, who now lives in Switzerland, was suspended for two years this month after testing positive for the banned anabolic steroid, stanozolol, the same drug that led to Ben Johnson’s downfall. Rocheleau is ranked sixth.. In another development, a former East German Olympic champion and a former top sports official have accused all of that country’s international athletes of taking drugs. “Every athlete that competes internationally for East Germany is doped,” said Hans Juergen Noczenski, former head of the East German Judo Association.