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Paralympics on dope-alert
By Tim Korte
AP sports writer
The para- prefix in Paralympics is for parallel, a reminder that physically challenged athletes can do many of the same things as the stars of the Olympics.
That includes cheating, too.
The Salt Lake Winter Paralympics open Thursday amid a growing awareness of the darker side to sports, a realization that some of its athletes have used illegal substances to boost performances.
"People are people. The mind works the same, whether you have a leg or not, whether you have a broken spine or whatever," said U.S. sled hockey defenseman Dan Henderson, an amputee. "When you get a large group of athletes together, some people are willing to do whatever they need to win."
The problem is not considered widespread.
International Paralympic Committee spokeswoman Susanne Reiff said there's never been a positive doping result at the Winter Paralympics, first staged in 1976 at Ornskoldsvik, Sweden.
Doping, though, was a huge story at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney. After five cases in 1992 in Barcelona and none four years later in Atlanta, Reiff said there were 11 in Australia — 10 involving powerlifters.
"The bizarre happens. Cheating happens," said Chris Devlin-Young, an American disabled skier.
The Paralympics have grown from 250 athletes to about 450 this year.
Although the Salt Lake numbers are down from the 571 who participated four years ago in Nagano, organizers think the event has grown in popularity and the stakes are higher.
"Paralympic sports are getting more and more like other elite sports," Reiff said. "It's about high performance, and some athletes use methods such as doping to get a medal. The motivation is the same in any sport."
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March 7, 2002
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