China Cuts 40 From Olympics Roster

B E I J I N G, Sept. 6, 2000 -- China cut 40 athletes and officials from itsOlympic team for the Sydney Games today, including sevenrowers and six runners trained by famed coach Ma Junren who failedblood tests.

The coach — whose “Ma’s Army” of women runners stunned the track world in the 1990s and whose anticipated appearance at Sydneyboosted Beijing’s medal chances — was among those cut from theroster, said Tian Xiaojun of the Chinese track and fieldassociation.

Six of the seven athletes Ma expected to take to Sydney,including former 5,000-meter world record holder Dong Yanmei, werealso cut.

“It’s because of blood tests. They were above normal,” hesaid.

The seven rowers cut from the roster failed blood tests for thebanned performance-enhancing drug EPO, Olympic officials in Sydneysaid.

In all, 27 athletes and 13 coaches and other officials weredropped from the roster.

Not all of the athletes had “suspicious blood tests,” said TuMingde, secretary general of the Chinese Olympic Committee. “Someof them are injured, some of them are sick,” he said, refusing toprovide a breakdown.

Benefits and Drawbacks to Cuts

China’s decision to cut its team seemed certain to dent itschances of reaching its goal of 16 gold medals at the Sept. 15-Oct.1 games in Sydney.

But Chinese sports officials may have improved Beijing’s bid tohold the 2008 Olympics and avoid a repeat of the doping scandals atthe 1994 Asian Games and at the 1998 swimming world championships.

“I’m very pleased,” International Olympic Committee presidentJuan Antonio Samaranch said of the doping withdrawals. “I’m veryhappy. This is very good news. It shows the new system fordetecting doping substances will work very well. … The objectiveis to have clean games.”

Chinese sports administrators, after notifying Olympic officialsof the cuts, revised the 311-strong roster of athletes it initiallyplanned to send to the games. They released a partial list, via theofficial Xinhua News Agency, of 73 athletes and 33 coaches andofficials who will go to Sydney.

Coaches, doctors and officials were struck from the list in linewith Olympics rules regulating the size of delegations, Xinhuasaid.

Of Ma’s athletes, only 10,000-meter Li Ji remained on the list.Spared any cuts or embarrassment was China’s weightlifting team,which is expected to win at least five gold medals, including fourwomen’s titles.

Landmark EPO Testing

Sydney organizers said today the Chinese Olympic Committeenotified them it was sending 40 fewer athletes and officials thanoriginally planned.

IOC medical director Patrick Schamasch said he received a letterfrom the Chinese rowing association confirming that seven rowerswere withdrawn after testing positive for EPO, or erthyropoietin,during pre-games doping controls in China. The tests showed EPOlevels above the allowable limit, he said.

Last week, the IOC executive board approved the introduction ofa combined blood and urine test for EPO at the Sydney Games. EPO,the drug of choice among endurance athletes, stimulates theproduction of oxygen-carrying red blood cells, and experts say itcan improve performance by up to 15 percent.

Until now, no test had been able to detect the use of syntheticEPO.

In Sydney, an athlete will be considered guilty of EPO use onlyif both the blood and urine tests are positive. Schamasch said theChinese rowers were dropped based only on blood testing.

‘An Example for Many Other Countries’

Liu Jianyong, secretary general of the Chinese RowingAssociation, said the rowers withdrew to protect their health anduphold the fairness of the Olympic Games.

“We are trusting the Chinese,” Samaranch told reporters at abreakfast news conference. “They are fighting against doping. Thisis an example for many other countries. This is good news for theimage of sport.”

John Coates, head of the Australian Olympic Committee, toldreporters that in addition to the dropped rowers the other Chinesecuts were: 14 in track and field; four swimmers and one competitoreach from sprint canoeing and slalom canoeing.

“Anyone who takes EPO now knows they will be caught, increasingthe chances they won’t do it,” said IOC vice president Dick Pound,who is also chairman of the new World Anti-Doping Agency. He calledthe Chinese cuts “a huge step forward.”

China put a positive spin on the controversy. Foreign Ministryspokesman Sun Yuxi said in Beijing that the athletes had withdrawnfor health reasons on the advice of doctors.

“We felt it would be best that we avoid any kind of anincident,” Sun said.

More EPO Tests Expected

The IOC began out-of-competition testing for EPO in Sydney andelsewhere in Australia last week. So far, 10 athletes have beentested, Schamasch said. The IOC expects to conduct 400 or more EPOtests through the end of the games.

A total of 3,200 drug tests — including 2,000 standardin-competition urine tests and 400 out-of-competition controls —will be carried out before and during the games in the biggestanti-doping program in Olympic history.

In another new step, the World Anti-Doping Agency is conductingaround 2,000 unannounced, out-of-competition tests before thegames.