SYDNEY, Australia, October 23. ONE week after Australian Elka Graham indicated she was offered performance-enhancing drugs prior to the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, she is not breaking to pressure to name the individual(s) who were involved in the incident. Graham made her claim in a column for the Sun Herald.
Since making her allegations, many big-name swimmers have come forward, urging Graham to unveil more of the situation with which she was involved. The list of athletes includes Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett and Michael Klim. And, rightly, they are not happy with the situation due to the dark cloud cast by Graham's claims.
By suggesting she was offered performance-enhancing drugs prior to the Athens Games, Graham has placed innocent and world-class athletes under suspicion. Now, certain athletes must deal with the "Was it him?" finger-pointing. Sure, Graham probably did not intend to cause a problem, but she has created a mess and now must remedy the situation by revealing names.
Not only would Graham's revelations clear the names of numerous athletes who have worked hard for their success, it would allow for a cracking down of the individual who offered the drugs. Even the chairman of the Australian Anti-Doping Authority, Richard Ings, has contacted Graham to urge her to come forward. Ings explained the confidentiality aspect of the ASADA code, but Graham is not budging.
In addition to Ings wanting Graham to speak, John Coates, the head of the Australian Olympic Committee, has indicated a need for ASADA to have the power to force the naming of violators, if an individual possesses that knowledge. Until that happens, however, instances like this current one will continue. Meanwhile, Graham's claims have now been backed by Julie McDonald, a 1988 bronze medalist in Seoul. McDonald said she was offered performance-enhancing drugs in the 1980s, but also would not identify the individual.
What Graham and McDonald have done is tarnish the sport of swimming. No, they are not as damaging as the individuals who cheat by doping, but their decisions have caused two problems. First, they've placed their fellow competitors in an unfair place, questioned over whether they were the offenders. Second, they have handcuffed the potential penalizing and crackdown of the cheats. If they really cared about their sport, they'd do the right thing and step forward. Instead, they've retreated – cowardly – to the corner.