Lewis Not Main Concern, Johnson Says : Track: Suspended athlete says chief worry is if he’ll be allowed to run again for Canada.

Sprinter Ben Johnson says his main concern these days is not a rematch with rival Carl Lewis, but whether he’ll ever be able to run again for Canada.

“Carl who? Never heard of him,” joked Johnson when asked about rumors of a big money match-race between the two sprinters.

“I’m not really worrying about races right now. What I’m worrying about is the government.”

A Canadian report on drugs in sport, prompted by the scandal surrounding Johnson at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, is finished and in the hands of the government.

The 27-year-old sprinter is serving a two-year ban from international competition after his positive test for steroids at Seoul. Johnson was stripped of his 100 meters gold medal after posting the fastest time in history.

The government will decide whether Johnson will be able to compete again for Canada.

“It’s important for me to run for this country again and make my country proud again,” said the Jamaican-born Johnson, who emigrated to Canada in 1976.

Johnson made the comments at a publicity session for a weekend track event for wheelchair athletes in Toronto.

The 5-foot-9, 175 pound Johnson, visibly less muscular than he was during 1988, has continued training during his absence from competition but was none too smooth as he climbed into a special racing wheelchair and took a spin down the track with Canadian wheelchair athletes Jeff Adams and Andre Viger.

Johnson will be eligible for reinstatement by the International Olympic Committee on Sept. 24.

Unless the Canadian government changes its lifetime ban policy, however, Johnson will not be allowed to represent Canada in international competition.

Asked whether he believes he could resume his athletics career without using banned anabolic steroids, Johnson said: “What do you think? I don’t want to push on that subject.”

“My training is very good,” said Johnson. “I still lift a lot of weights and I can still lift the same weight as a few years ago.”