Track under scrutiny by Olympic committee

   (KRT) MIAMI—A series of recent doping scandals involving U.S. track and field athletes and Jon Drummond’s tirade at the world championships have cast a shadow over all American athletes, Bill Martin, U.S. Olympic Committee president, said.
    The USOC met with USA Track and Field officials Friday and told them they have a month to address their problems or face the possibility of being decertified.
USATF has until Nov. 17 to submit a proposal of how it will deal with these issues.
   “The United States Olympic Committee has to take the responsibility and leadership to solve this problem because we are not satisfied with the action that has been taken to date by USA Track & Field,” Martin said.
   The announcement came a day after the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said “several” American athletes had tested positive for previously undetectable designer steroid tetrahydrogestrinone (THG) at the U.S. track and field championships.
   Terry Madden, chief officer of the USADA, said, “What we have uncovered appears to be intentional doping of the worst kind. This is a far cry from athletes accidentally testing positive as a result of taking contaminated nutritional supplements.”
   Madden added, “Rather, this is a conspiracy involving chemists, coaches and certain athletes using what they developed to be ‘undetectable’ designer steroids to defraud their fellow competitors and the American and world public who pay to attend sports events.”
   The USOC said its ultimatum was not prompted by Thursday’s news, but rather by the ongoing drug cases of 2000 Olympian Jerome Young and 2003 100- and 200-meter world champion Kelli White, and Drummond’s unsportsmanlike behavior.
   After being disqualified from the 100-meter quarterfinals for a false start, Drummond protested by lying on the track.