THE SIDELINES : ’84 Olympic Tests Used to See How Long Drugs Lingered, Doctor Says

Dr. Robert Kerr of San Gabriel said today that the drug-testing program conducted by U.S. Olympic officials in 1984 was intended to help athletes determine how long it would take banned chemicals to clear their bodies.

Kerr, an author of a steroid guide who estimates his patients include 4,000 athletes from 20 countries, said he had never heard the suggestion that the test conducted before the Los Angeles Games was intended to test equipment.

“No records were kept,” said Kerr, who quit prescribing steroids in 1985. “The people I spoke to all told me they were very pleased with the result.”

The 54-year-old doctor, who once boasted to having more than a dozen Olympic medal winners on banned substances, said some athletes were able to reduce clearance times to five days from 17 after submitting to the non-punitive testing program.

U.S. officials have acknowledged such a program existed but denied it was intended to help their athletes cheat.