Stanford Meet Rejects TAC Sponsorship Because of Drug-Testing Requirement

Stanford University’s weekend track meet will go on without the sponsorship of The Athletics Congress, which wanted random drug testing of the competitors.

Stanford Athletic Director Andy Geiger on Monday said the Stanford Festival, slated for Friday and Saturday, was chosen for drug testing, and the school quickly decided to reject the testing and TAC sponsorship.

The decision means the meet will no longer have an “open” division for non-collegiate athletes, but there will be events for college and high school students.

Stanford was picked at random by a computer for the testing, said Berny Wagner, who coordinates TAC’s drug-testing program.

“All of the major competitions in the country are just thrown in a hopper and come out randomly,” he said. “It happened that the Stanford meet came out for the Western region.”

Said Geiger: “I feel badly for some kids who can’t compete.”

Scott Chisam, Stanford assistant track coach, said some top athletes, including Andre Phillips, an 1984 Olympian in the 400-meter hurdles, will not be able to compete in the meet.

“If we hold a meet that’s not sanctioned (by TAC), then an athlete could be running in an event illegally,” he said.

“We’re the one university that has a court injunction that says you don’t have to be tested,” the coach added.

Two Stanford athletes sued the NCAA over drug tests in 1987, claiming the tests were an invasion of privacy. A judge ruled last November that the NCAA could no longer subject Stanford’s 28 varsity sport teams to urine tests, ruling that sufficient cause existed only to test football and basketball players.