38 Soviets Test Positive for Drugs

Track and field athletes Natalya Yermolovich and Yelena Podkopayeva were among 38 Soviets who tested positive for drugs, including steroids, a sports official said in an article published in the newspaper Sovietsky Sport.

It did not say if any action was taken against the athletes, 16 of whom were track and field competitors. But because the story was given prominence on the front page of the newspaper, some disciplinary action against Yermolovich and Podkopayeva is almost certain.

N. Ivanov, a member of the anti-doping committee of the Soviet Olympic Committee, reported that a false medical certificate had been made out for Yermolovich, who finished sixth in the javelin throw at the 1988 Olympics.

The medical certificate, apparently drawn up by Yermolovich’s trainer, identified only as Medvedev, stated that she had been undergoing medical treatment that included the use of the anabolic steroid narabol. The trainer had prevailed upon a doctor to sign the document, the report said, adding that other documents also were falsified.

The report also said that Podkopayeva, a middle-distance runner, participated in the European Championships at Split, Yugoslavia, Aug. 27-Sept. 1, even though a preliminary test before the Goodwill Games at Seattle in July showed the presence of a steroid in her blood.