By TERRY MADDAFORD
The testing agencies are holding their own in the fight against sporting drug cheats, but New Zealand Sports Drug Agency bosses are calling for a bigger push worldwide.
Speaking on his return from the Sydney Olympics, agency executive director Graeme Steel said he felt the testing programme in Sydney did a "good job."
But he would like to see the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) lead the drive to expand the fight against drug cheats.
"There are fewer than 20 countries of the 199 who had athletes at the Olympics who have a [testing] programme I regard as acceptable," said Steel.
"There is a Wada meeting in Oslo next month and I hope there will be a big push to get agencies like ours in to more countries.
"The athletes in Sydney accepted what we are trying to achieve and for the most part were obliging.
"On only three or four of the 100 or so tests I sat in on, as a medical commission deputy, were the athletes a bit frosty."
Nine athletes were disqualified at the Olympics. A further two positive tests were notified yesterday but without naming the athletes, their countries or sports.
Six other competitors were banned from the Olympics after pre-competition testing.
A further 39 athletes did not appear in Sydney after returning positive results in pre-Games testing.
"If we can now go ahead and further what we are doing with EPO [erythropoietin], then I can see real progress," said Steel. "As far as I know, there were no positives for EPO at the Olympics.
"There can be no blood testing for EPO by the NZSDA until there is a change in our regulations, but I can see that being done before the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games.
"Testing, wherever, whenever, has to remain the deterrent and we are doing that."
The New Zealand agency conducted 1180 tests in the year to June - up from 951 a year earlier.
An "in competition" test costs about $500. Out of competition tests are about $250 each.
Th agency had seven positives, including swimmer Trent Bray, athlete Callum Stuart, who was reprimanded for using an asthma treatment, two road motorcyclists for "recreational drugs," a powerlifter who was over the NZSDA limit for caffeine but under the international level, and a rugby league player banned for using ephedrine.
More than 200 rugby players were tested - many as part of a move by Sanzar to test Super 12 players. None returned a positive.
Eighty-three shooters were tested with the emphasis on the Commonwealth Championships which doubled as Olympic qualifiers. Again, none tested positive.
Agency wants bigger push on drug cheats
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