Sunday, December 16, 2001
Drug bosses crack, change rules
By AL STRACHAN -- Toronto Sun
Imagine this scenario -- and it shouldn't be hard for any Canadian to do so.
Team Canada wins the hockey gold medal at the 2002 Olympics, but hours later, it is discovered that one player took a banned cold remedy and the whole team is disqualified.
That is, after all, the IOC position. If one team member is discovered to have used a banned substance, any game he played for that team is forfeited.
That scenario won't happen at Salt Lake City.
It would if the IOC had its way, but in a protracted battle, the NHL Players' Association waged war with the various bureaucracies for years and finally won.
As of 1 p.m. yesterday, the 23 players named by Team Canada will be subject to random drug testing until the conclusion of the Olympics.
If one of those 23 is found to have a banned drug in his system, he becomes ineligible, but the team suffers no penalty.
The same rules are in place during the Olympics themselves. No game, once won, will be forfeited because one athlete consumed a banned substance.
And there's even a gray area. If a player is under medical care, there are some drugs that can be administered under medical supervision with no penalty.
But that's a finer point. The major point is that hockey will have no Ben Johnson.
2002 Games Men's Hockey Coverage
