A group of APSE sports editors met in April in New York with commissioners from the four major sports leagues, plus the NHL and Major League Baseball players associations, NASCAR, U.S. Track and Field and the United States Olympic Committee. Here's what they had to say.

There are two things that cause Bill Martin to lose sleep.

As acting president of the United States Olympic Committee, Martin was responsible for trying to lead the organization through the administrative disaster that set in a year ago. The chief executive officer resigned. The president resigned. Charges of ethics violations and workplace discrimination were flying. U.S. senators were knocking on the door.

But, after settling the discord, watching major sponsors sign on to the Olympic effort and seeing the USOC professional staff and volunteers work together for the first time in years, Martin worries over none of the past. It's the future that has his focus.

"Doping keeps me awake and what will happen with the Justice Department and its investigation of Balco," Martin told a group of sports editors in New York. "And, will Athens be a safe and successful games."

Martin and interim CEO Jim Scheer attended the New York meeting. They said they are determined to send a drug-free team to Athens, but worry that if they don't see the information the Justice Department has collected on the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative and the designer steroid THG they will inadvertently include an athlete with a positive test.

"We don't want any embarrassments," Martin said, adding that he'd like to see the federal government take a role in setting a national standard for drug testing that would cover all levels of sports.

On security in Athens, Martin and Scheer said that most athletes are not concerned about their safety during the games. The USOC has a liaison working with the Athens Organizing Committee.

"We are not providing security, but we are monitoring it closely," Scheer said. "We know of no specific threats (to the Games or U.S. athletes)." He went on to say, "the majority of athletes are not focused on security. They want to know that we're taking care of it, but they are concerned about the field of play."

Martin said there has been no talk of the U.S. not participating in the Games for security reasons.

"If we don't go, who wins?" he said. "(Terrorists) do and we can't have that."

— Kevin Dale
The Denver Post