Task force urges track overhaul

They asked for a candid review of their problems and they got it -- 69 pages of unflattering details, uncomfortable advice and a laundry list of possible solutions for the U.S. track team.

A task force commissioned by USA Track and Field released its report yesterday, lashing out at the American relay system, recommending streamlining Olympic trials and calling for a more stringent policy for dopers who want to be reinstated.

The report came in the wake of a disappointing showing at the Beijing Olympics. Americans led all countries with 23 track and field medals, but their seven golds were the lowest total since the 1997 world championships.

The task force is called "Project 30," a nod to the goal of winning 30 medals at the 2012 London Olympics.

"We're headed toward having single digits in the next few Olympics if we don't make the changes," said Carl Lewis, one of the nine members of the task force.

The panel decried an overall "lack of accountability, professionalism and cohesion" among staff, coaches and athletes. The group suggested athletes focus more on winning Olympic medals, acting like professionals and possibly creating a union, and less on things such as appearance fees and access to TVs in the Olympic village.

To spearhead the changes, the task force called for the hiring of a general manager to oversee all aspects of USATF.

Chief executive Doug Logan said he would decide how to respond to the panel's 10 key recommendations by the time of the next USATF board meeting in March.

"This report has and will produce a significant amount of discomfort and the change that comes with it will produce a significant amount of discomfort," Logan said. "But it's the only way the institution can change and get better."

The task force covered doping even though it wasn't asked to, saying it was the most important issue in the sport.

It called for current anti-doping standards to be augmented by the USATF, saying cheaters should be reinstated only if they provide depositions under oath "detailing what went into their decision to cheat, how they obtained and used their drugs, and who contributed to their cheating."

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency said it was pleased to see the task force take such a strong stance but noted that some of the recommendations now exist in the anti-doping program.

"Of course, we look forward to assisting the USATF Task Force in developing specific programs that they believe will address and improve their unique sport issues," USADA spokeswoman Erin Hannan said.

Officials at the U.S. Olympic Committee applauded the report. "If the analysis was sharp, it's only because the committee recognizes what U.S. track and field athletes are capable of achieving," spokesman Darryl Seibel said.