Dilemma: If Reynolds Runs, Others in Meet May Face Ban

The Bruce Jenner Symantec Classic, usually a high-quality but low-key international track and field meet, became embroiled in controversy Friday.

Officials of the sport’s international governing body threatened to disqualify every athlete in the meet if 400-meter world record-holder Butch Reynolds is allowed to compete.

Reynolds, 27, was suspended in 1990 for two years by the IAAF after testing positive for an anabolic steroid, a performance-enhancing banned substance. He has exhausted every appeal within the sport, the IAAF arbitration panel earlier this month voting to uphold the suspension.

But Thursday, a federal district judge in Columbus, Ohio, issued a temporary restraining order that allows Reynolds to compete in the United States. So, Reynolds has announced his intention to run the 400 in the meet today at San Jose City College.

Upon hearing that, Istvan Gyulai, general secretary of the IAAF, which is meeting this weekend in Toronto, said track’s “contamination rule” would be applied if Reynolds is allowed to compete. Under that rule, if a banned athlete participates, all others who participate in the meet are “contaminated” and subject to bans.

The IAAF threatened a similar action last year, when Reynolds received court clearance to compete at the national championships in New York. The IAAF backed down the day before Reynolds ran.

Friday, the IAAF called upon The Athletics Congress, which governs the sport in this country, to prevent Reynolds from competing.

Peter Alkaly, special counsel to TAC, responded: “We are hoping that the IAAF recognizes the dilemma they are putting us in. They can’t ask us to choose between our duties as an IAAF member and our obligation to comply with the duly issued order of a federal court.”

* SOUTH AFRICA: Country is back in Olympic track. C6.