TRACK AND FIELD : Guilt Is Presumed in Appeal Hearing of Suspended Barnes

More justice last week from international amateur track and field authorities.

A panel of The Athletics Congress upheld the two-year drug suspension of shotput world record-holder Randy Barnes. The International Amateur Athletic Federation already had suspended Barnes.

However, in its opinion, the TAC panel made it clear it felt there were several serious questions about the case.

On the first page was this footnote: “It is clear, from the information and testimony obtained during the hearing, that the IAAF Commission did not have all the relevant information in making its decision.”

The biggest questions in the handling of this case are ones that come up time and time again--fairness and justice.

Barnes’ attorney complained that the IAAF never attempted to contact him or Barnes to ask questions or gather evidence.

However, Barnes may have asked a few questions of his own to the IAAF. Consider the five-person commission that judged his case. In addition to Manfred Donike of Germany and Arnold Beckett of England, on the panel were Frank Greenberg, Arne Ljunqvist and Manfred Hopner. Consider this for potential conflict of interest: Greenberg is the president of TAC and thus might have a vested interest in Barnes’ innocence; Ljunqvist is the director of the lab that tested Barnes’ sample and might not want to rule that the lab made a mistake; Hopner has since been kicked off the IAAF Medical Commission because of his admission that he administered the former East German drug program.

These were the people who sat in judgment. Here was the IAAF’s operating assumption--guilty until proven innocent. Here is what IAAF Rule 55-9 says about departures from the federation’s strict testing guidelines--they do not invalidate a positive drug test.

Doesn’t sound like anyone has much of a chance against this stacked deck. Until international sporting law either reforms or acknowledges the rights of athletes, there will continue to be lawsuits and grousing from the American athletic community.

Ben Johnson’s first victory in three races came Saturday night and just in time. He won the 55 meters in Ottawa by one-hundredth of a second. Another losing performance and there would have been trouble.

Now, Johnson will begin to get the media off his back, allowing him to concentrate on his training. No doubt Johnson is second-guessing himself plenty. Add to that a world of critics and things can begin to look bleak.

The timing of his victory is important for his own confidence, too. Sprinting is an endeavor that has strong elements of gamesmanship. Confidence counts.

Johnson says he has not lost an ounce of confidence. Fine. But what about that of the opposition? Johnson used to blow away his competitors, and now he’s showing every sign of being human.

Here’s what Daron Council, who beat Johnson in his first race back, said regarding confidence: “It used to be that when we got into the blocks against Johnson, the race was to see who was going to be second. This (Council’s victory) may change that.”

The combination of Johnson’s slower times and his competitors’ increased confidence might make for more close races.

A point of clarification: It is easy to get confused about the meaning of Johnson’s times in his comeback.

Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and world record after he tested positive for drugs at the 1988 Olympics. But that wasn’t all. Johnson testified at Canada’s Dubin Inquiry into drug use in sport that he had been using drugs for years and had been taking anabolic steroids during the world track championships at Rome, where he set a world record.

The IAAF ruled that Johnson’s times from then be expunged--as if he had never run them.

Thus, his 5.74 at 50 meters in Los Angeles last week is now his personal best. But it is not the fastest he has run the distance. Johnson has run the fastest 50 meters ever, a 5.55 in 1987. He has run 5.72 or faster nine times. Likewise, even though Johnson’s winning time of 6.20 for the 55 meters Saturday night was a good time, Johnson ran a 6.01 in 1988.

So, with a 5.74 is Johnson still fast? Yes, he’s still a world-class sprinter. Is Johnson as fast as he was before? No, not even close. But the slippage should not be attributed to drugs alone. Johnson, 29, is older and has been out of competition for two years. He will improve.

However, the time difference illustrates how much Johnson has slowed and how fast he used to be.

Quotebook: Paul Ereng, Olympic 800-meter champion, on the return of Johnson: “They are kind of encouraging lying and cheating to take drugs. If he doesn’t run the same times again, you’ll never know if it’s because he’s purified or if he’s getting old.”

Track Notes

With the absence of Randy Barnes from the indoor circuit, Jim Doehring is having his way with the shotput competition. Doehring, who had the fourth-best throw outdoors last season, won at Johnson City (Tenn.) Friday night at 68 feet 1 inch. . . . The Los Angeles Marathon is busy signing runners. Recent additions to the March 3 race--Julie Isphording, last year’s women’s winner; Maria Trujillo, who has run a 2:28.53; and two master’s runners, John Campbell and Priscilla Welch. Campbell has won the Los Angeles master’s race twice and Welch, who is 45, hopes to qualify for Great Britain’s 1992 Olympic team.