US expert opposes McDaid's drug plan

The Olympic Council of Ireland's convention in Dublin yesterday on the subject of drugs in sport highlighted nothing if not the diversity of opinion on testing procedures, banned substances and punishment of athletes.

No sooner had Minister for Tourism and Sport Dr Jim McDaid left the room in the Radisson hotel than guest American speaker Dr Wade Exum spoke out against the minister's proposals to introduce criminal sanctions to those who "contaminate" sport with drugs. Exum also stated that he was vehemently opposed to blood testing being introduced in the campaign against drugs.

McDaid's conference-opening speech had confirmed reports that he intends to introduce new measures to criminalise those caught taking performance-enhancing drugs. He also proposed the possibility of blood testing to augment the urine tests which are common practice.

"There is a pitiful lack of meaningful sanctions against those involved," said McDaid. "I include not only athletes who take drugs but those who supply them and those who cover up for them.

"For some time now I have been in discussion with my colleague the Attorney General on the means by which severe sanctions might be imposed on those who possess or traffic in drugs for sport.

"If I can find the means within Irish law, I will not hesitate to apply criminal sanctions, including jail terms, to those who contaminate sport with drugs."

On the issue of testing, McDaid said: "There is consequently a need to advance rapidly in testing techniques, possibly involving blood testing or other non-urine based methods."

Exum, the US Olympic Committee's Drug Control Administration director, then voiced his opposition to both proposals.

"I don't agree with criminalising athletes who use drugs. Substance abuse is a medical phenomenon rather than a criminal act," he said. "I adamantly oppose blood testing. I don't think it adds anything to what we are doing. For me blood testing is a nightmare. Blood is considered a biologically contagious substance."

Exum, a qualified psychiatrist, currently controls the largest drugtesting organisation in the world.

The conference also heard that testing procedures for the detection of two of the most sought after drugs in modern sport - Erythropoetin (EPO) and Human Growth Hormone (HGH) - should be developed by the next Olympic Games.

According to professor David Cowan of the London IOC laboratory, the aim is to have tests in place for Sydney 2000.

According to Cowan, almost £2 million has been made available from the European Union and International Olympic Committee (IOC) to fund testing methods for the two agents, which are undetectable by current urine testing procedures.

The detection of EPO and HGH will involve blood testing. Professor Sonksen of St Thomas Hospital, London, is charged with developing the tests. In order to use blood testing procedures, Sonksen and the IOC will have to sidestep possible religious objections, as well as possible legal challenges. Last year, top officials in FINA, the governing body of swimming, suggested that the use of needles might be considered too invasive and that to insist on tests which involved the effective "stabbing" of athletes was doomed to failure.

It is hoped that the tests will come into effect after a world symposium on drugs which takes place next February in Lausanne and is being organised by the IOC.

The symposium was organised in the wake of Chinese officials being caught with banned substances at the World Swimming Championships in Australia last January and the farce of Tour de France when systematic drug-taking by cyclists was revealed in the summer. Both EPO and HGH were the predominant drugs found by investigating police and customs officials.