World

IOC Pays A Price For Scandal

By CBSNews.com staff CBSNews.com staff

February 2, 1999 / 12:10 PM EST / CBS

In Switzerland on Tuesday, representatives of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) attended the first day of a three-day international summit aimed at wiping out performance-enhancing drugs from sports competitions, reports CBS News Correspondent Mark Phillips.

But under the cloud of the IOC's Salt Lake City corruption scandal, critics like U.S. drug czar Barry McCaffrey have questioned whether the Olympic Committee is the body to do it.

Nine IOC members have resigned or been expelled for receiving cash payments, gifts and other favors stemming from Salt Lake City's winning bid for the 2002 Winter Games.

"These events have tarnished the credibility of the movement," the White House drug policy director said on the first day of a world summit on drugs in sport.

Several other European government officials, including sports ministers from Germany and Britain, backed McCaffrey's stance.

Establishing international standards for what constitutes doping in all Olympic sports has been a pet project of IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch.

"The main objective as far as the Olympic movement is concerned is to contribute through prevention and eradication to protect young people from mortal danger," Samaranch told the conference.

One of the problems in putting a stop to unfair doping is that different sports have different standards. Snowboarder Ross Rebagliati was able to keep his gold medal after testing for marijuana because snowboarders don't list it as a performance-enhancing drug and because he said he'd inhaled it passively at a party.

And while Peter Korda continues to play tennis despite a positive test for a performance-enhancing drug, British runner Doub Walker is under suspension for testing for the same drug.

With pressure mounting on the IOC to keep a low profile, the question is who will take the lead on setting standards.

Samaranch proposed the creation of an international agency to coordinate drug testing around the world. Though he said the agency should be "autonomous," he added that an IOC official would be responsible for day-to-day business.

But even the man he chose to head the new drug agency - Belgian Prince Alexandre de Merode - blamed Samaranch for setting the anti-doping program back a decade by opposing the establishment of an anti-doping agency in 1989 on budgetary grounds.

"Samaranch opposed this ... as did practically the whole executive committee," de Merode told the Paris sports paper L'Equipe. "It was shot down by 90 percent of the people who favor it now."

If any proof was needed as to how the bribery scandal is affecting the IOC ability to operate -- this conference is providing it.