Pubdate: 5 Feb. 1999 Source: Daily Herald (IL) Copyright: 1999 The Daily Herald Company Contact: http://www.dailyherald.com/ Section: Sec. 1 OLYMPIC OFFICIAL RIPS MCGWIRE LAUSANNE, Switzerland - A top Olympic official called Mark McGwire a "souped up" hero, worshiped by Americans who don't care about fighting drugs in sports. McGwire, who used a muscle-building supplement during the season he hit a record 70 home runs, was attacked again Thursday at the conclusion of the International Olympic Committee's anti-doping meeting. "The closer you are to the Olympic movement, the more you are concerned about doping," IOC vice president Dick Pound of Canada said. "The farther away from it you are, the less you care. All of a sudden you are in Mark McGwire land, and this is a national hero all souped up," Pound said. McGwire openly uses androstenedione, which is banned by the IOC, NFL, NCAA and other bodies. The dietary supplement is not banned by Major League Baseball. McGwire and America's attitude toward doping in sports came in for frequent criticism after White House drug czar Barry McCaffrey told delegates at the start of the meeting Tuesday that the IOC must institute reforms to regain credibility in the anti-doping fight. Sebastian Coe of Britain, a two-time Olympic 1,500-meter champion, cited reports that sprinter Dennis Mitchell escaped a drug ban by claiming his positive test resulted from sex and drinking beer the night before. The case "stretched credibility to a breaking point," said Coe. IOC president Juan Antonio Samaranch referred to McCaffrey and the U.S. doping situation in his wrapup news conference Thursday. "We're very thankful he's so interested in the IOC, but we also told him he had many problems in his own country with doping," Samaranch said. - --- MAP posted-by: derek rea