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GETTING THE REAL DOPE (p. 3 of 3)
1 | 2 | 3 | AUG '04
Which is why she doesn’t keep a rogues’ gallery of the guilty. In fact, Ayotte says, if she were to make any addition to her office, it would be a "wall of disillusionment" in light of the treatment she has seen inflicted on some athletes. "It’s shocking, what athletes have been put through over the past 15 years. They’re being exploited as human guinea pigs, pure and simple." Her greatest fear is that one of her own children might one day aspire to a career in sports and be tempted themselves. "We have to teach our kids to accept their limitations: to celebrate their triumphs and live with their defeats," says the mother of two.
You wonder about this. Success is relative, the recent Balco trial in the U.S. notwithstanding. Cheaters will always find ever more creative ways to cheat. You get the feeling they’ll always have the upper hand. Doesn’t that get Ayotte down? "Oh, I think about throwing in the towel every Friday night," she says. "But I’m always back at it on Monday morning." She knows what needs to be done and hopes the will is there to do it. "We need to keep the pressure up, encourage countries to ban trafficking and recognize the World Anti-Doping Agency as an effective tool in the fight, not an instrument for easing states’ conscience. We need to encourage the federations to break the code of silence, and we need courageous athletes who dare to ‘just say no.’"
On the way out of Ayotte’s office, you pass the desperate Chinese delegation and realize that the good doctor won’t be offering much in the way of consolation. After all, there’s a lot of sleuthing to do these days. Sherlock Holmes has a date with a little something called the Summer Olympics. [ ]
BUSTED!
Notable nabs from Ayotte’s lab.
1993
Ben Johnson
The disgraced sprinter returns to competition at an indoor meet in Montreal, tests positive for anabolic steroids and receives a lifetime ban from competition.
1998
Randy Barnes
The 1996 Olympic gold medallist and world-record shot putter had already tested positive once, in 1990. This time, the American is caught taking testosterone and banned for life.
1998
Dennis Mitchell
The U.S. sprinter, a member of the gold medal-winning men’s 4 x 100-metre relay team in Barcelona, fails a test for anabolic steroids. Represented by USA Track & Field lawyers, he confronts Ayotte in court but loses his case.
1999
Javier Sotomayor
The world-champion high jumper from Cuba tests positive for cocaine at the Pan Am Games in Winnipeg and is disqualified. A full-blown diplomatic row ensues between Ottawa and Havana, with Fidel Castro accusing Ayotte of being a CIA agent.
2002
Claudia Poll
The Costa Rican swimmer, 200-metre freestyle gold medal-list in Atlanta, tests positive for steroids and is slapped with a four-year ban, which is commuted in March 2004.
2004
Shang Shichun
The three-time world-champ weightlifter from China has three new record lifts from the world championships in Vancouver to her credit until her test comes back positive. She is stripped of all her titles and is banned from competing in Athens.
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