Doping in sports: 1988 Seoul Olympics

Ben Johnson's win over Carl Lewis; of wh ich he was DQed for drug use.

Ben Johnson’s win over Carl Lewis; of wh ich he was DQed for drug use.

Sports History 1988

A famous case of AAS use in a competition was Canadian Ben Johnson‘s victory in the 100 m at the 1988 Summer Olympics. He subsequently failed the drug test when stanozolol was found in his urine. He later admitted to using the steroid as well as Dianabol, testosterone, Furazabol, and human growth hormone amongst other things. Johnson was stripped of his gold medal as well as his world-record performance.

Carl Lewis was then promoted one place to take the Olympic gold title. Lewis had also run under the current world record time and was therefore recognized as the new record holder. In 2003, however, Dr. Wade Exum, the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) director of drug control administration from 1991 to 2000, gave copies of documents to Sports Illustrated which revealed that some 100 American athletes who failed drug tests and should have been prevented from competing in the Olympics were nevertheless cleared to compete, among those athletes was Carl Lewis.

Carl Lewis broke his silence on allegations that he was the beneficiary of a drugs cover-up, admitting he had tested positive for banned substances but claiming he was just one of “hundreds” of American athletes who were allowed to escape bans, concealed by the USOC. Carl Lewis has now acknowledged that he failed three tests during the 1988 US Olympic trials, which under international rules at the time should have prevented him from competing in the Seoul games.[34] Former athletes and officials came out against the USOC cover-up. “For so many years I lived it. I knew this was going on, but there’s absolutely nothing you can do as an athlete. You have to believe governing bodies are doing what they are supposed to do. And it is obvious they did not,” said former American sprinter and 1984 Olympic champion, Evelyn Ashford.[35]

Reference: Wikipedia

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