KEEPING CLEAN

CANADIAN equestrian Eric Lamaze was destined for the Olympics in Sydney,
Australia, before he tested positive for cocaine. It was the second time in
as many Olympics that Mr. Lamaze had been disqualified for the same
offence, but on this occasion, he came close to beating the ban.

Earlier this month, the Canadian equestrian federation banned Mr. Lamaze
for life from competition. On appeal, an adjudicator called that
unreasonable, citing extraordinary circumstances that led to the rider's
resumption of cocaine use, but the Canadian Olympic Association on Tuesday
refused to allow Mr. Lamaze to take a place on the Canadian Olympic
equestrian team.

That decision was a huge disappointment for Mr. Lamaze, although he
accepted it gracefully, without attempting to lay blame anywhere other than
where it belonged. It should, however, have been a boost for Canada's other
athletes in Sydney, who have trained for years to qualify without the
benefit of the drugs that can enhance athletic performance.

Although cocaine is not usually considered to be a performance-enhancing
drug, it is not only on the list of banned drugs for Olympic athletes but
also illegal for any Canadian to use. If the Canadian Olympic Association
had allowed Mr. Lamaze to join this country's team in Sydney, it would have
made a mockery of its own regulations. Worse, it would have made a mockery
of the ideals, the dreams and the discipline of Canada's other Olympic
athletes.

Mr. Lamaze is not the only athlete -- nor the only Canadian athlete -- to
see his Olympic dreams dissolved in a drug test. In Sydney, and, it seems,
at almost every international sporting event, athletes are disqualified for
drug use. Most are clean but it sometimes seems that the major competition
today is between the athletes who try to chemically improve their
performance with new and undetectable drugs and the testers who race to
find new ways of testing to ensure the purity of sport.

International sporting events are supposed to be competitions between
athletes, not between pharmaceutical companies, nor between drug testers
and cheaters. Arguments can be made about what drugs can be allowed and
which ones should be grounds for disqualification, but the rules are clear
and simple; and athletes who take banned substances should be disqualified.

As Eric Lamaze's case was being debated in Canada, another Eric was on his
way to an Olympic-class loss in his event in Sydney. Eric Moussambani of
Equatorial Guinea swam the 100-metre free-style event so slowly that
officials wondered whether they might have to dive into the pool to rescue
him. Mr. Moussambani was philosophical about his loss: "I'm really pleased
about what happened. Gold medals are not everything at the Olympic Games.
What happened to me was worth more than gold. I want to train now and come
back ... next time." Athletes seeking support from a chemical crutch could
take a lesson in Olympic spirit from this young African.