Positive tests destroying credibility of US sport- Coach

RALEIGH, North Carolina, July 30 (Reuters) Positive doping tests by Olympic 100 metres champion Justin Gatlin and Tour de France winner Floyd Landis are destroying the credibility of American sport, the 2004 Olympics US men's athletics coach said.

''They are destroying it big-time,'' George Williams told Reuters in a telephone interview from his Raleigh home yesterday.

''It is affecting sports everywhere. It is affecting the credibility of young kids,'' Williams added.

''Justin is a hero. He is a hero for track and field. He is an American hero.'' Williams, the Olympic coach, said he did not believe Gatlin used performance-enhancing substances.

''Anybody that gets caught if they are doing something wrong, that's a good sign,'' he said.

''But if they are not doing something wrong, that's a bad sign.'' Co-world 100m record holder Gatlin announced yesterday he had tested positive for testosterone or its precursors in April.

Landis two days earlier had confirmed he had failed a doping test for testosterone during the Tour de France.

Both denied taking banned substances and said they would fight to clear their names.

''We are in the process of reaping what we sowed,'' World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Dick Pound told Reuters in an telephone interview on Friday before Gatlin's positive was announced.

''We let this (doping) problem get out of hand in the '50s, '60s, '70s and '80s, and now you pay the price of when great performances occur, people ask questions,'' Pound said.

LIKE A CANCER US Olympic Committee chairman Peter Ueberroth said doping is like a cancer.

''It tears at the fabric of what makes sport unique and important to our society,'' Ueberroth said in a statement.

''We are committed to winning this battle,'' Ueberroth said.

''(But) the cold reality is this: we are not yet winning the battle,'' he added. ''Good progress has been made, but a great deal more must be done.'' US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) CEO Terry Madden would not comment on Gatlin's case, but he strongly criticized anyone who participated in or permitted doping.

USA Track&Field boss Craig Masback said he hoped Gatlin had not committed a doping offense.

''Justin has been one of the most visible spokespersons for winning with integrity in the sport of track and field,'' Masback said in a statement.

But he added, ''His case demonstrates that in track and field and Olympic sports, it doesn't matter who you are. If you test positive for a banned substance, you will face substantial consequences.'' REUTERS AY KN0959