AUSTRALIA PONDERS TOUGH PENALTY FOR SPORT DRUGS

Steroid use could cost an athlete two-year jail term

Australia's government is considering a proposal that could land sport
drug cheats in jail, despite criticism from lawyers and civil liberty
groups.

The Australian Olympic Committee has called for governments to raise
the penalties for sports drug possession, manufacturing and
trafficking to match penalties applying to narcotics.

A positive drug test for anabolic steroids could land an athlete a
two-year jail term, while anyone importing large amounts of sports
drugs could be jailed for life.

Justice Minister Amanda Vanstone said the Australian government was
considering a proposal for performance-enhancing drugs to carry the
same penalties as illegal narcotics and amphetamines.

Lawyer Dennis Boucher said jailing athletes caught using anabolic
steroids would be unworkable. ``What happens about the person who's
deliberately spiked?'' he asked.

``It's like the racehorse who's nobbled. Is it the owner's fault or is
it the crook's?''

In Montreal, a Canadian weightlifter has been banned from the sport
for life after failing a drug test for the second time in his career.

Eric Chevrier, Canada's top-ranked lifter in the 85-kilogram category,
tested positive for human chorionic gonadotrophin on Monday following
a competition in Montreal. The substance, which has a steroid effect,
is not normally present in men.

``He was surprised,'' said Canadian Weightlifting Federation president
Dresdin Archibald, who delivered the news. ``There was the usual song
and dance, but there was no explanation. He just said, `I couldn't
possibly be positive.' ''

Chevrier, whom Archibald said would rank between 20th and 25th in the
world, indicated he wanted to appeal - perhaps in time to compete at
next month's Commonwealth Games in Malaysia.

Casey Wade, director of the Ottawa-based Canadian Centre for Ethics in
Sport that conducted the test, said yesterday that HCG promotes the
secretion of testosterone. It is normally used to promote female
fertility and for infants with underdeveloped testicles. It is only
legally available in Canada by prescription.

At Bordeaux, France, the International Cycling Union said it had
conducted blood tests on 23 athletes from the French, German and
Ukraine teams at their hotels in advance of today's start of the world
championships. All were negative.

WITH FILES FROM STAR WIRE SERVICES

Checked-by: Patrick Henry