TRACK AND FIELD : Petranoff Stays Bound to Future of South Africa

The International Amateur Athletic Federation indicated last week that recertification of South Africa’s track federation was imminent, and it appears ever more certain that South Africa will be extended an invitation to the World Championships at Tokyo in August.

All of which is affecting Tom Petranoff.

Petranoff, the former world record-holder in the javelin and a former U.S. Olympian, has been living in South Africa for three years. He was suspended for 12 years by The Athletics Congress for having competed in South Africa.

Petranoff recently threw the javelin 292 feet 6 inches, the third-best throw in history, in winning the South African championship. He also became the first foreigner ever awarded the Springbok Colors, South African sport’s highest honor.

Now, Petranoff is pondering his future. He has applied for South African citizenship and expects to receive it this summer. But he is still not sure if, under international rules, he will be allowed to compete for South Africa when it returns to the world sports scene.

Petranoff said Monday that he had recently spoken to Alvin Chriss, the TAC official who imposed the 12-year ban. Chriss, who is no longer with TAC, has markedly altered his position on South Africa and is making his third trip there this year. Petranoff said Chriss assured him that once he received his South African passport that TAC could not prevent him from competing.

However, international rules say that an athlete may compete for any country he chooses, provided he has not represented any country for three years. Petranoff last competed for the United States at the Seoul Olympics in October of 1988, nearly three years ago. Nearly, but not quite. So, if Petranoff wants to compete at Tokyo in August, he will need TAC’s release.

But will TAC give it?

“It’s uncharted waters,” a TAC spokesman said.

In the meantime, an IAAF delegation is to arrive in Johannesburg Friday.

This group has the power to recommend South Africa’s reinstatement. The delegation is expected to do so, and, barring unforeseen complications, the IAAF is expected to formally vote South Africa back in at meetings in Tokyo.

Further pointing to South Africa’s participation at Tokyo, the IAAF, in an unprecedented move, awarded television rights for the World Championships to a South African management group. South Africans, who have been blacked out of the Olympic Games and most international sports on television, will finally be allowed to watch, at least.

Kathy Franey, a middle-distance runner, lost her appeal last week and was suspended by TAC for two years for failing to appear for a drug test. Under TAC rules, failing to appear for a drug test is punishable by the same penalty as that for failing a test.

The theory appears sound. TAC’s program of random, unannounced testing would not have much bite if athletes were allowed to appear for tests when they felt like it, rather then when notified. Abuses of the system would be rampant. But, increasingly, the system seems to abuse athletes.

Here’s Franey’s story: She lives in Boston and her boyfriend lives in Philadelphia. On the spur of the moment, she decided to drive down to see him for a few days. While she was gone, she was notified via Federal Express that she was to report for a drug test. By the time Franey got home, she was already in trouble.

Now, a word about the rules. TAC considers “notification” to mean that the package is signed for by anyone in the household. A roommate could answer the door, take the package, put it on a table and leave it there for two months and, by TAC rules, the athlete to whom the package was addressed was “notified.”

More rules: Athletes ranked in the top 15 in each event are eligible for this testing. They are supposed to know that they might be tested at any time, and thus are advised to call TAC’s national office in Indianapolis to provide those times when they won’t be home and give a forwarding address.

Athletes are supposed to let TAC know everywhere they are likely to be at all times. In effect, Franey was considered AWOL, even thought she wasn’t home when the notice arrive, even though she had trip receipts to prove she was out of town. As soon as someone accepts the package, the clock starts ticking. Athletes have 48 hours to get in contact with TAC before they are suspended.

Franey didn’t make it back in time. For that, she has been kicked out of the sport for two years.

Said one member of Franey’s hearing panel, “It’s a tough rule, no question about it. It was a painful decision to make. It pained me.”

Perhaps, but not as much as it pained Kathy Franey.

Track Notes

Pat Connolly, former UCLA women’s track coach and longtime --now former--coach of sprinter Evelyn Ashford, has written a book called “Coaching Evelyn.” Asked Sunday at the Mt. SAC Relays if she had read Connolly’s book, Ashford said, “I haven’t read it yet. I’m putting it off because I know I’ll cry. It will be very nostalgic.” Ashford said she has no plans to write a book of her own, saying, “I have nothing to say that hasn’t already been said.” . . . Francie Larrieu Smith continues to break new ground. The 38-year-old who recently set an American record at 10,000 meters was second in Sunday’s London Marathon in a personal best of 2 hours 27 minutes 35 seconds.

July 27 is still being reserved on the calendar for an L.A.-area invitational meet. Don Franken said the date--one week after the New York Games--would allow the L.A. event to share athletes with New York. But a sponsor has yet to be signed. Franken said there is interest from at least one. The meet would be held at Birmingham High in the Valley or at Cerritos College.

The Santa Monica Track Club’s relay teams have never been in greater demand. They represent a great bargain for meet promoters, who can get four sprinting stars in one package. And, even though the sprinters are apparently eager to run relays this season, the members of Santa Monica’s 400 relay team could not name more than two occasions when they may run. Said team manager Joe Douglas, “We’d like to go the Penn Relays (this weekend), but we don’t have the money to go back there. If we could get someone to pay our air fare and hotel, we’ll go.” Michael Johnson, the first athlete to be No. 1 in the world at both 200 and 400 meters, said this weekend he wasn’t sure which event he would run at the Barcelona Olympics next year, provided he makes the team, but he is sure that he won’t try to double. . . . Overlooked but not by any means insignificant was the IAAF decision last week to hold the World Championships every two years instead of every four. International track officials said the move was in response to sponsors’ wishes to see big meets more often. Another indicator that, although track and field is on the wane in the United States, its popularity is growing in the rest of the world.