DRUGS HOT TOPIC AT OLYMPIC MEETING

SYDNEY (Reuters) - The burning issue of drugs in sport will be top of the
agenda when International Olympic Committee (IOC) heavyweights meet in
Sydney this week for a series of high-level talks on the 2000 Games.

Leading IOC members are pushing for the introduction of a new medical code
to ensure that drug offenders are treated the same way regardless of their
sport.

But a number of international sports federations have expressed concern
about the plan, because of moves to outlaw "social drugs" such as
marijuana.

The issue came to the fore at this year's Winter Olympics in Nagano when
Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati tested positive for traces of
cannabis.

Rebagliati was stripped of his gold medal then won it back after an
arbitration panel ruled that he should not have been tested in the first
place.

The IOC quickly set up a task force of its own four vice -presidents to
formulate a policy on recreational drugs. The task force will report to
the IOC executive board in Sydney next week and is expected to take a hard
line.

Some international federations are against plans to include marijuana on
the IOC's list of banned drugs because it has not been proven to enhance
performance.

The issue is expected to be discussed at length over the next 10 days when
the IOC meets with the Association of Summer Olympic International
Federations (ASOIF) after a meeting of the IOC board.

The IOC will also be asked to introduce a cut-off date on the type of
drugs to be tested and the technology used at the Sydney Olympic.

The Sydney Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) wants the
IOC to implement a deadline so they can establish a watertight testing
system.

However, demands for the cut-off date to be set in 1999 rule out any
chance of the introduction of blood tests, which many feel are a more
accurate way of detecting sophisticated human growth hormones and
erythropoietin (EPO).

"The Olympics is not a technological trade fair, it is not a showcase of
innovation," SOCOG chief executive Sandy Hollway said last week. "We want
to put a high emphasis on technological reliability."

Also on the agenda next week is the expected announcement from the IOC
that women's pole vault and women's hammer throw would be added to the
track and field program for 2000.

IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch has been a long-time advocate of
gender equality at the Games and is expected to announce their inclusion
when the IOC executive board meets next week.

The first leg of the Olympic marathon starts Wednesday when the IOC
Coordination Commission meets to examine Sydney's Games preparation.

Chaired by executive board member Jacques Rogge of Belgium, the commission
will examine a range of issues including accommodation, ticketing and
transportation.