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Drug tests all clean after 60 matches
Posted: Tuesday July 07, 1998 10:36 AM
PARIS (AP) -- Doping tests were carried out on 240 players at the
first 60 matches of the World Cup and none were found positive for illegal
substances, FIFA's medical committee announced Tuesday. "There were
240 tests and 240 negative results," Dr. Lars Peterson of Sweden, a medical
committee member, announced. He said the tests encompassed a
majority of the players who got into games at the World Cup through the
quarterfinals' matches, and that the negative results were "a source of
great satisfaction." "This is not a victory. We still have four matches
left," Peterson said at a news conference before the semifinals' matches
Tuesday and Wednesday, the third-place game Saturday and the final on
Sunday. The 1994 World Cup in the United
States was shaken by a doping scandal involving Argentine superstar
Diego Maradona, whose urine test detected the stimulant ephedrine. He was
kicked off the team and served a 15-month playing ban imposed by FIFA.
Dr. Michel D'Hooghe of Belgium,
another member of the medical committee, attributed the testing results at
France '98 to
efforts by the world soccer federation and medical officials of the 32
teams to combat illegal substances, including muscle-building steroids and
various stimulants. "We emphasized to all team doctors that we
should have a World Cup without doping," D'Hooghe said. The medical
committee said that of all major sports, soccer has by far the lowest
incidence of illegal drug use. Members attributed this primarily to the
"collective" aspect of a team sport that condemns performance-enhancing
substances. At the World Cup, Peterson said, four field players are
chosen by lot from each team at halftime to undergo post-match urine tests
-- two primary and two backups in case of an injury. The samples are
brought by courier to an "absolutely neutral lab" in Paris approved by the
International Olympic Committee for testing of banned substances, including
muscle-building steroids and stimulants. Each test costs the equivalent of
$150. The medical officials said hashish and marijuana were among
the stimulants on FIFA's list of illegal substances. Although neither is
believed to be especially performance-enhancing for soccer players, the
World Cup teams agreed with FIFA to put them on the banned list.
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