Games have lost soul, says Snell

New Zealand's triple Olympic gold medallist Peter Snell believes the Olympics has lost its soul in the quarter century since he last competed.

The New Zealander, who won the 800 metres gold in Rome in 1960 and the 800 and 1,500m double in Tokyo in 1964, feels drugs and money have engulfed the Games.

"It's not as much interest to me now that the drug and money stuff is in there," he said in Sydney yesterday on a visit to the 2000 Olympic city.

"I think it's terrible that the NBA (American professional basketball) is in there, that professional tennis players are in there, that the commercialism is rampant and out of control," added the man who is now an assistant professor of medicine in Dallas, Texas.

And he has no faith in the drug-testing procedures.

"The drug testing doesn't work in my opinion. EPO is around, there's no way of checking on that. You've no idea of who's for real and who's not for real," he said.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) last week admitted they were no nearer finding a test for EPO, which increases the production of oxygen-carrying red blood cells which improve stamina.

However, the IOC has agreed to carry out testing for steroids and stimulants on athletes in the Olympic village.

But Snell remained unconvinced. "It (testing) creams off some of them (drugs cheats) but it makes it better for some who can get away with it," he said.