Report alleges Carl Lewis used drugs

SYDNEY: The manager for Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson says Johnson plans to pursue legal action after it was determined that Carl Lewis was allowed to compete at the 1988 Olympics despite a positive drug test.

Four of the top five finishers of the 100-metre race at Seoul, South Korea — Johnson, Lewis, Linford Christie and Dennis Mitchell — have all tested positive to drugs. But only Johnson has been forced to give up his records and his medals. Morris Chrobotek, Johnson’s lawyer and manager, told yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald newspaper that United States Olympic Committee (USOC) officials involved in a purported cover-up in the Lewis case should be jailed and he would pursue legal action following the positive drug test results.

“It is corruption,” Chrobotek told the Herald in a telephone interview. “Ben knew all along that Carl was positive, now all the world is knowing. It was a cover-up by the officials and it has only come out now because they don’t have to do anything about it.” “But he (Lewis)should have to give back his medal. Linford also. Ben was not the only one on drugs — they were all taking drugs, there was no difference. Carl Lewis should now have his medal taken away from him, like Ben did, and he has to come out and express what really happened.” “The officials should be jailed and dismissed and we will be suing them for what they did — where are the test results and who made the decision? The system has to be run with integrity and everybody treated equally.”

Chrobotek did not specifically say who the target of the legal action would be. Dr. Wade Exum, USOC’s former director for drug control from 1991 to 2000, released more than 30,000 pages of documents to Sports Illustrated and the Orange County Register last week that he says show that athletes such as Lewis and tennis player Mary Joe Fernandez tested positive but were allowed by USOC to compete anyway. Exum said Lewis tested positive three times for small amounts of banned stimulants found in cold medications at the 1988 Olympic trials. The American Olympic body first disqualified Lewis, then accepted his appeal on the basis of inadvertent use. Lewis went on to win gold at Seoul in the long jump and in the 100 metres after Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and world record after being disqualified for using steroids. USOC has called Exum’s accusations baseless. In October 2000, they handed over drug-testing responsibilities to a new organisation, the US Anti-Doping Agency.