TRACK AND FIELD / JULIE CART : Johnson Can’t Outrun Trouble

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson has not lost his knack for attracting controversy.

Scarcely had he completed the 50-meter race in Hamilton, Canada, Friday night in his first competition in 27 months when controversy broke out. In explaining his second-place finish Johnson said he had been confused by two finish-line markings on the track and had mistakenly stopped at the first.

If that was the case, and it is not clear that it was, then it was a mistake. The first line denoted the finish for the 50-yard dash, about 12 feet shorter than the 50-meter dash. Observing the race, there was no indication that Johnson had mistaken the finish lines. After the race, however, he said he thought that was the difference in the race.

This confusion came as a surprise announcement, but even accepting it, it’s not much of an excuse. Johnson’s coach, Loren Seagrave, took the blame for the mixup, saying he didn’t notice the two markings until just before the race. Although a coach attempts to alert his athlete of any possible problems, the responsibility rests with the athlete.

The race winner, Daron Council, said officials told the runners where the finish line was. Johnson apparently didn’t hear the instructions.

Whether Johnson truly erred isn’t really the point. The distances run indoors are odd and vary from track to track, so mistakes aren’t unusual. The point is Johnson seems destined to be dogged by controversy and acrimony. It would be a shame if these elements dominated his comeback from a two-year drug ban. What will be really interesting is to see if a presumably drug-free Johnson can ever duplicate his past performances.

The fallout from Johnson’s admitted drug use continues to have an effect in Canada. The Canadian government last week announced a sweeping get-tough plan to combat drug use among athletes. The nation established the Canadian Anti-Doping Organization, an independent body that pledges to pare drug use to “an irreducible minimum.”

The organization will begin work April 1 and oversee the drug testing, education and research programs of Canada’s 60 national sports bodies.

At the same time, Marcel Danis, Canada’s Minister of Sport, announced new criminal penalties for the sale and use of anabolic steroids. The drugs are to be reclassified and will soon fall under the Psychoactive Substance Control Act, currently being drafted.

A person found guilty of trafficking in steroids could be jailed for up to 10 years under the new guidelines.

The Canadians’ concerns about drugs are real. Since Johnson’s drug bust in Seoul, which the sport’s officials maintained would discourage drug use among athletes, 29 Canadian athletes have tested positive for banned substances, more than the total positives reported from 1983 through 1988.

The new drug commission will have a $5.8-million budget over the next three years and also will be charged with surveillance and investigation.

A welcome aspect of the program is that federations no longer will be responsible for testing their own athletes.

Said one Athletics Canada official: “As long as it was an in-house operation, there could be accusations of collusion and conspiracy. To be free of that potential for conflict will be very useful.”

Such a conflict of interest exists in the American federation, which must police its athletes while it lures sponsors to the sport with assurances that the athletes are clean. The TAC’s extensive testing program is a tremendous financial strain. Getting out from under that policing role would surely help TAC.

The Canadian Anti-Doping Organization would serve as the appeals and grievance body for all athletes. In this, too, TAC is sorely burdened. Increasingly, TAC’s time and resources are spent in endless hearings, appeals and litigation.

Why not establish a board within the USOC to handle athlete’s complaints and transgressions? The USOC is already the court of last resort for American amateur athletes, so why not extend the appeals process within the USOC and streamline it within the national governing bodies?

The vanishing sport of track and field, cont.: Hot on the heels of the cancellation of The Times’ meet comes the news of the end of the Knights of Columbus meet in Cleveland. The meet was unable to find a sponsor and gave up its Feb. 16 date. With the end of The Times’ meet, scheduled for Feb. 14, there are no meets on that weekend, leaving a hole in the indoor schedule.

Because the schedules are made months in advance--as are athletes’ plans--such a weekend without a meet is costly.

One additional downside to the loss of the two meets is that both were designated as Grand Prix meets. Only 11 meets in North America carry the prestigious IAAF designation. A Grand Prix meet must include a certain number of world-ranked athletes and contain certain events.

The Millrose Games got some sweet news last week when Snickers signed as sponsor of the 83-year-old indoor meet. Millrose had been without a sponsor, and the two-year contract--with a three-year option--comes as a relief to meet organizers.

One sticking point, however: the candy bar manufacturer wants a title sponsorship, and meet officials are attempting to dissuade them. A decision is expected this week.

Diane Dixon, a nine-time national indoor champion at 400 meters, ran well in the 500 at Hamilton in coming back from an ankle injury.

Dixon, a 27-year-old New Yorker, won the 500 in 1:12.25, a meet record. Dixon, who will run the 400 Friday night at the Sunkist meet, had pulled a ligament in her right ankle and missed the end of the outdoor season.

“No question, I’m back,” she said. “I’m in great shape. I’m looking for American records indoors and outdoors and a gold medal at the world championships. It’s never been done before.”

Track notes

Ticket sales at the Sunkist meet have picked up, with 7,000 tickets sold. Meet promoter Al Franken said he expected sales to reach around 10,000. . . . Franken said Sunday he was trying to get Daron Council, who beat Ben Johnson Friday night, to run against Johnson at the Sunkist. . . . PattiSue Plumer, Michelle Finn, Ray Brown and Jeff Atkinson are among the athletes participating in the Sunkist meet who will spend Thursday visiting schoolchildren, urging them to get involved in sports.