The Sydney Morning Herald from Sydney, New South Wales, Australia • Page 46

THE SYDNEY MORNING HERALD WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 1997 Sport 45 71 adders icaee twoear bsm WHY A BOBSLEDDER WOULD USE STEROIDS Banned sprinters used same drug An vx I I A An explosive take-off is crucial in the bobsleigh race. A Team members rock the sled back and forth before pushing it If C. over the starting line and jumping in. Any increased muscle bulk Ai I and strength from steroid use would give a team the A A edge over competitors. JtV IX 14 -U Bobsleigh teams race down an ice covered track at more than 120kmh AUSTRALIA'S SPORTING DRUG HEARINGS four-year ban was later reduced to two years.

For the members of a bobsleigh one of the most important moments in the race is the start, when the momentum is created to propel the sled down the track. In this so-called explosive start, strength and power are vital to impart maximum speed. Steroid-enhanced muscles will undoubtedly help boost performance. Anabolic steroids have been in use since the 1930s, when they were mostly prescribed for men to restore hormonal imbalances. Their proliferation in sport occurred during the 1950s and 1960s when their strength-giving properties were fully realised.

But they can have dangerous side effects. They can cause high blood pressure which increases the risk of heart disease jaundice, liver damage and liver cancer. Stanozolol belongs to a group of the drugs hich can be taken orally (rather than by injection). JENNIE CURTIN PENALTY rv DRUGS IN SPORT JACQUELIN MAGNAY andAAP Two prospective members of Australia's bobsleigh team for the winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan, have been dropped from contention and face a two-year ban after testing positive to steroids. The embarrassment for Australia comes after Australian swimmers and coaches were very vocal in condemning record-breaking and year-best results at China's National Games in Shanghai and follows last week's announcement that 35 Australian sportspeople tested positive to drugs in the past financial year.

"We are still a long way from saying we are clean here in Australia," Australian Olympic Committee president John Coates said yesterday. In Beijing, China's State Sports Commission resisted attacking Australia after the news of the tests, calling instead for more worldwide co-operation in the anti-drugs fight. "It's not a great surprise that this has happened in Australia," spokesman Wei Hongquan said. "But we don't hope to see this sort of thing happen in Australia. "I think the Australian Government is as resolute as the Chinese Government in fighting against drugs in sport.

"These results show that being determined is not enough. You cannot solve such a problem within a short period." The two bobsleigh members who cannot be named under Privacy Act regulations will face a national sports resolution hearing, at which any sanctions will be determined. Under International Olympic Committee guidelines, they face automatic two-year bans for testing positive to stanozolol. Once the test results were known late last week, the two were also ruled out of conten- 18 month 2 years years, overturned by mediator after appearing before Senate's Drugs in Sport inquiry years SPORT DRUG TEST GAEL MARTIN 1981 Shot putDiscus Steroids SUZANNE HOWLAND 1987 Javelin Steroids MARTIN VINNICOMBE 1991 Cycling Steroids ALEX WATSON 1992 Pentathlon Caffeine RONLAYCOCK 1993 Weightlifting Steroids CORIN RIDDING 1995 Rugby League Steroids SEVDALIN.MARINOV 1995 Weightlifting Steroids SAMANTHA RILEY 1996 Swimming Headache 1 DEAN CAPOBIANCO 1996 Athletics Steroids JEFF STEWART 1995 Cycling Steroids CLINTON SCHIFCOFSKE 1996 Rugby League Steroids JUSTIN CHARLES 1997 AFL Steroids weeks warning years years weeks weeks Sources have confirmed the urine samples from the two bobsledders part of random testing by the Australian Sports Drug Agency across five winter Olympic sports were taken during an Olympic briefing in Sydney in September. Athletes and coaches at the briefing have said bobsleigh team coach Doru Francu-Cioclei had expressed concern time on the ice.

Senator O'Chee, who races in a single sled and is in training for the world titles in Europe, said Australian bobsledders relied heavily on sprinting and strength training. The drug-test results were welcomed by Australian head swimming coach Don Talbot "We are naive if we don't think Australians don't dare cheat, and if it's our own people we catch, Stanozolol, the drug reportedly found in the urine of two Australian bobsledders, was the illegal substance that led to lengthy bans on Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson and Australian Dean Capdbianco. It is an anabolic steroid, a synthetic form of the male hormone testosterone, which helps to increase muscle bulk, particularly in the upper body but also in the torso and legs. Steroids are thought to add power to ligaments, tendons and joints and have been linked to improved recovery after strenuous physical effort. For a sprinter, such as Johnson, whose 1988 Olympic 100m title was stripped from him after his positive drug test, the advantages are obvious.

Pumping arms can be as vital as leg power hen seeking victory, and stronger arms will give greater pump. Capobianco, another sprinter, tested positive in May 1996, but consistently denied using the drug. His original Inquiry Bonn An inquiry into doping allegations against five former East German swimming coaches has been dropped, Berlin prosecutors have said. Although suspicions that the coaches had given male swimmers in their charge anabolic drugs were partly confirmed, the inquiry was dropped because the swimmers were no longer minors and knew, or had an idea, that they were getting steroids, the prosecutors said. The five were among 10 trainers and three doctors thrown.

If either umpire is not entirely satisfied with the fairness of a delivery he shall call and signal "no-ball" instantly upon delivery. A ball shall be deemed thrown if, in the opinion of either umpire, the process of straightening the bowling arm, whether partial or complete, takes place directly preceding the ball leaving the hand. Had Emerson again found fault with Foley's action, he would have issued a final caution following the second no-ball and then directed Ian Healy to remove him from the attack for the remainder of the innings immediately after the third offence and call of no-ball. The fiasco involving the Sri Lankan spin bowler Muttiah Muralidharan from the Boxing Day Test of 1995 brought to a head a state of affairs that had been simmering without adequate attention from the International Cricket Council for years. Leading Australian umpire Darrell Hair no-balled the Sri Lankan seven times in three overs at the MCG, after which umpire Emerson again no-balled Muralidharan on seven occasions in a limited-overs game at the Gabba, some criticism descending on Emerson as Muralidharan was bowling a mixture of right-arm leg spinners with his orthodox off spinners.

Nevertheless, Sri Lanka took All in black and with substance At least Muralidharan didn't suffer in vain tion for the Australian bobsleigh team now competing in the World Cup in Calgary, Canada. The team is racing in the first round of the Cup, attempting to finish in the top half of the field and so qualify for the winter Games next February. The bobsledders in Calgary are Jason Giobbi, Adam Barclay, Scott Walker, John Morrison and Ted Polslaze. Lomu was diagnosed as suffering nephrotic syndrome, a disease of the kidneys, and has undergone extensive chemotherapy since then. The All Black winger played only two full games and two half matches in last month's return before being called into the squad.

"He's a remarkable individual just to be here," Hart said. "We're not expecting great things from him. Jonah's here for the future." Lomu said: "I've got a 50-50 chance of making the Test team. I'm still taking medication but I'm almost down to my fighting weight. "I feel much better than I did when I came here last year with the New Zealand Barbarians.

"It will be so tough to get into the Test team but I'm expecting big things of myself. I'm competing against myself in many ways." Hart was confident the free-flowing southern hemisphere style of rugby would not be curbed by local refereeing. The All Blacks begin their tour at Llanelli in Wales on Saturday and were due to announce their side on Wednesday. As. the match will be just seven days before they play Ireland at Lansdowne Road, it is likely to be a Test-strength team.

The Daily Telegraph, London Two about the extent to which some of his team members had bulked up and was worried about weight transference in the sled. The weight of a four-man crew is limited to 630 kg. Bobsledder and National Party senator Bill O'Chee, who had no sympathy for drug cheats, said yesterday that Australian competitors were tempted to take drugs to make up for less practice our momentum going. It was only in the first 20 minutes that we were able to generate something. "Also, we found ourselves with some great attacking opportunities but didn't have the smoothness in our execution to make full use of them." Eales said the video also confirmed how Australia had shackled themselves by making, the most elementary mistakes at inopportune times.

"It just highlighted how simple errors really cost us," he said. "When we were in a good attacking position, we were able to get a bit of a flow on and then 'boom', all of a sudden there was a mistake, they had the feed, or they had got the ball, and hoicked it down the other end of the field. And we had to start all over again." Eales and Robinson agreed that, apart from the clever tactics of the Argentines, referee Bertie Smith's inability to play the advantage, while issuing a penalty at virtually every breakdown, drastically affected their flow. "When there's 47 penalties in the game, it's hard to really gain any momentum," Robinson said. "It just makes it that much more difficult." Cleared Two 16 Retired Severe 2 2 4 16 dropped employed by former East German swimming club SC Dynamo Berlin, which had been under investigation.

Among those investigated, four coaches responsible for female swimmers were officially charged last month with giving banned anabolic drugs to minors without telling either them or their parents. The four were named as Rolf Glaeser, Volker Frischke, Dieter Lindemann and Dieter Krause, now retired. Reuters no action against Muralidharan and he remained an important character and contributor in his country's World Cup triumph. Umpire Hair was entitled to question the ICC's integrity on such important issues as he watched albeit briefly the World Cup final, and Australia's demise. With international pressure mounting for some action, any action, to assist umpires and spare future public humiliation of a bowler, the ICC instructed that action be initiated by the home body when a bowler's action was under suspicion, incorporating in the Laws of the Game a "three no-ball limitation and off" requirement.

Umpire Emerson despatched to the ACB his match report and the facts relating to Foley's no-balling immediately after the Sheffield Shield game. Relevant video footage and the report will be considered by Crafter and, if bowling modifications are considered necessary, the recommendation will be in Queensland coach John Buchanan's hands within 48 hours. That is the consolation from the Muralidharan disgrace. When the ICC did nothing, umpire Hair felt obliged to take action. Never again will an international bowler suffer the prolonged public agony as did Muttiah Muralidharan.

On the second Test against the in-form Australian Super League combination, Goodway said: "The Australian players are completely professional and are prepared to give away certain things in certain areas in the interests of controlling the situation. "Sometimes you have got to concede penalties if you want to win the game. We have to play smarter." Canberra back-rower Brad Clyde, who missed the first Test with a calf muscle injury, has declared himself a likely starter on Saturday but conceded he would not be an automatic selection in the starting side following the outstanding form of his replacement, Gorden Tallis. Super League faces thousands of dollars in payouts following the Paris decision. The club was almost entirely staffed by Australians and New, Zealanders, and if they can't find a start elsewhere, Super League will be bound to reimburse them the value of their contracts.

i then good," he said yesterday. "I don't think it undermines what we are trying to do all I want is that swimming is kept clean." Another anti-drugs campaigner, swimming coaches association official Forbes Carlile, said there was a big difference between athletes taking drugs of their own free will and the systemised doping regime that he feared was operating in China. Reports on both players were despatched to the home associations. Queensland were fastidious in their attention to detail. Foley was filmed in slow motion at the University of Queensland and a biomechanical analysis of his action made by the Department of Human Movements.

It was established that Foley bowled with a permanently bent elbow and that, as with McNamara, there was no case to answer. Two months later Australia's selectors found no fault with Foley's action and chose him in the Australia A side which played first the West Indies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and then the Pakistanis at the SCG. Foley clean-bowled Brian Lara and had Carl Hooper caught during his 10 overs at the MCG, taking 2-47 in the six-wicket win, then 2-56 against the Pakistanis. Saturday's episode with umpire Emerson was like a guillotine dropping on the all-rounder's representative career, at least until weight of evidence proves he is guilt-free. Former Sydney first-grade paceman and umpire Emerson no-balled Foley twice on Saturday, first for over-stepping the popping crease, then, from his position directly behind the bowler, for allegedly "chucking" his quicker delivery.

For a delivery to be fair, the ball must be bowled, not IN BRIEF Indiana in the opening match of their six-match tour of the United States. LEAGUE Glanville to Leeds London: Newcastle Knights' long-serving forward Marc Glanville, 31, has signed for Leeds to boost the Rhinos' Super League title hopes for next season. TENNIS Tebbutt in upset Stockholm: Australian qualifier Michael Tebbutt downed sixth seed Spaniard Alex Corretja 4-6 6-4 6-4 in the first round of the Stockholm Open. BASKETBALL Anstey in big time Dallas: Australian centre Chris Anstey has signed a three-year NBA contract with the Dallas Mavericks. SOCCER Dark ending London: The English Premier League match between West Ham and Crystal Palace was abandoned after a 65th-minute floodlight failure.

The score was 2-2. Serious business All Black captain Sean Fitzpatrick faces the press, backed up by teammate Michael Jones, at the start of New Zealand's tour of the United Kingdom and Ireland. RUGBY London: Who needs image consultants? The All Blacks have flown into Heathrow airport to start their nine-match tour of Britain and Ireland. And despite a 24-hour flight, on arrival the 36-strong playing party was immaculately turned out in pleated black trousers, black crew-neck tops and black shoes. Alongside stood a long line of black suitcases.

The sty lish accessories were redundant. These men deal in substance and the substance is very impressive. Despite the glut of international rugby on offer these days, the All Blacks riding into town still send a shiver down the spine. They are unbeaten this season and have every intention of remaining so after their four international matches here: two against England and one apiece against Ireland and Wales. "We don't get to the northern hemisphere that often," AH Black coach John Hart said.

"We're excited just to be here." Although there are eight uncapped players in the squad, there is one man above all others who may justifiably lay claim to a greater degree of excitement. It was barely 12 months ago that Jonah Lomu wondered if he would ever lead a normal life again, let alone play rugby. Boks Buenos Aires: Australia believe the lessons learnt during one of their few impressive performances of the 1997 season, when they defeated South Africa in Brisbane, will enable them to stop Argentina being so destructive at the breakdown in the second Test here on Saturday. The Wallabies were noticeably disgruntled that Argentina were so easily able to upset their midfield rhythm during last Saturday's scrappy 23-15 first Test win by successfully spoiling at the breakdown, which included repeatedly fringing offside. Instead of enjoying quick ball to the backs, Australia's momentum was stifled when they regularly found themselves within a swirling mass of bodies, which, in the words of coach Rod Macqueen, resulted in the Wallabies "winning the ball but giving it back to an Argentine The Wallabies watched a replay of the Test and soon realised that the way they played against the Springboks in August, when they won 32-20 at Suncorp Stadium, could easily help them overcome any obstructive tactics from their opponents this weekend.

CRICKET PHILWILKINS All-rounder Geoff Foley was back out on the Melbourne Cricket Ground as a batsman during the week, striving to keep the Victorian Bushrangers from Queensland's throat, briefly distracted from the dead-weight that suddenly descended on his bowler's back, Foley, 30, heard the dreaded no-ball call for "chucking' on Saturday, just once, but it was a sound to make the off spinner's blood freeze. The all-rounder continued bowling after umpire Ross Emerson's action, finishing with 2-38 from 1 1 overs in Victoria's first innings, claiming the wickets of Ian Harvey (3) and Paul Reiffel (60) before the closure ended a harrowing day. Foley has endured it all before. At the start of last season, his action came under scrutiny during Queensland's Mercantile Mutual Cup limited-overs game against NSW at the Gabba. After the game, the names of Foley and, astonishingly, NSW all-rounder Brad McNamara went before the Australian Cricket Board's national umpiring manager Tony Crafter, the former Adelaide umpire now based in Melbourne after a distinguished 33-Test umpiring career, who examined video of their actions.

SPORT RACING Oliver suspended Jockey Damien Oliver was suspended yesterday for a month, starting on Friday, on a careless riding charge arising from last Saturday's Victoria Derby. CRICKET Windies make 215 Lahore: West Indies set Pakistan a total of 216 in the fourth match of the quadrangular Golden Jubilee one-day tournament after being 4-56. South Africa, who beat the West Indies on Monday, have qualified for the final AMERICAN FOOTBALL Chiefs triumph Kansas City, Missouri: Running back Marcus Allen threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Danan Hughes with 1 :45 left in the first half as the Kansas City Chiefs won their third straight game, 13-10 over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night BASKETBALL Boomers beaten Slow-starting Australia crashed 77-63 to Purdue University in game holds the key Britain plan to be foul-minded from all sorts of situations all over the field and, no matter who is first there whether it's a back or a forward they have to be constructive. And the others have to get in there and do the work." Wallaby open-side breakaway Brett Robinson argued that a major reason Australia struggled for so long during the first Test was that players were too often caught behind the advantage line, forcing the team to back-pedal, rather than intensify their momentum. "Once we start executing our plays well, then we will be going forward, we will be on the front foot We will get over the advantage line, and everything seems to flow from that," Robinson said yesterday.

"When the team is going forward, the overall confidence grows, because the ball gets released quickly and you can control the flow of the game. "What was happening last Saturday was that we weren't able to generate any phase play, because we were getting caught a little behind the advantage line. "Their forwards were coming forward, ours were going backwards, and we never could get LEAGUE STEVE MASC0RD Leeds: Great Britain coach Andy Goodway, without a club following the decision to exclude Paris from next year's Euro League, has said his players must be prepared to deliberately concede penalties if they are to win Saturday's second Test against Australia at Old Trafford in Manchester. Goodway's attempts to reverse last Saturday's 38-14 loss at Wembley were interrupted on Monday when Britain's Rugby Football League announced Paris would not compete in Super League next year, despite his success in avoiding relegation after being appointed to the troubled club in mid-season. The RFL board also voted to promote Huddersfield to the elite league next year and include a team from Swansea in 1999, when Paris will be reinstated if the French Rugby League can raise the necessary funds.

Mlabies 1997 Tour Greg Growden Good, driving play, effective blocking and clean-out at the breakdown and fast clearance, are some of the requisites to thwart Argentina from wrestling themselves back into the game. These tactics worked against South Africa. "There are some answers provided when you compare how we played against New Zealand at the MCG and then against South Africa at Suncorp," Australian captain John Eales said yesterday. "It was very static in Melbourne, and we struggled. But in Brisbane we were a lot more effective, driving and cleaning out well and getting over the advantage line.

This must occur.