Jamie Astaphan

Jamie Astaphan, 60, the doctor who gave Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson the steroids that cost him an Olympic gold medal, died Friday at his home in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis, after a heart attack. Astaphan, a native of the Caribbean island, moved back to St. Kitts from Toronto in 1986.

Jamie Astaphan, 60, the doctor who gave Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson the steroids that cost him an Olympic gold medal, died Friday at his home in Frigate Bay, St. Kitts and Nevis, after a heart attack. Astaphan, a native of the Caribbean island, moved back to St. Kitts from Toronto in 1986.

A doctor who admitted providing steroids for sprinter Ben Johnson and other athletes was arrested at an airport on drug warrants. Jamie Astaphan was arrested Saturday by Drug Enforcement Administration agents after his Toronto-bound plane from Antigua was diverted to John F. Kennedy Airport because of bad weather, DEA spokesman John Dowd said. Astaphan was wanted on two federal warrants, one from Buffalo for importation and distribution of steroids, the other from Tampa, Fla.

Ben Johnson's physician has arrived in Canada and is ready to testify before a federal inquiry--possibly next week, his lawyer said. Jamie Astaphan and lawyer David Sookram met for several hours with counsel representing the federal commission investigating the scandal surrounding Johnson's positive drug test at the Seoul Olympics. The inquiry is currently in recess and is scheduled to resume next Wednesday. Astaphan has remained at his home on St. Kitts since Johnson failed a drug test and was stripped of the 100-meter world record and Olympic gold medal last September.

Jamie Astaphan, the physician who prescribed steroids for Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson and other athletes, was suspended Monday from practicing medicine in Canada for 18 months and fined $5,000 by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons. Astaphan, 45, said he began prescribing drugs to athletes in 1983 when he learned that some coached by Charlie Francis were dosing themselves. Astaphan said he was concerned that the athletes "would kill themselves."

A doctor who admitted providing steroids for sprinter Ben Johnson and other athletes was arrested at an airport on drug warrants. Jamie Astaphan was arrested Saturday by Drug Enforcement Administration agents after his Toronto-bound plane from Antigua was diverted to John F. Kennedy Airport because of bad weather, DEA spokesman John Dowd said. Astaphan was wanted on two federal warrants, one from Buffalo for importation and distribution of steroids, the other from Tampa, Fla.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, banned two years from international competition after testing positive for steroid use at the Seoul Olympics, told an Italian television interviewer that he is training for a comeback next year with an eye toward the 1992 Games in Barcelona. "My dream is to compete in the next Olympics. I want to face Carl Lewis again," Johnson said in a taped interview to be broadcast Thursday. Johnson, accompanied by his manager, Larry Heidelbrecht, remained tight-lipped during the interview with veteran Italian entertainer Mike Bongiorno about accusations by his physician, Jamie Astaphan, that he used steroids.

Jamie Astaphan, the physician who prescribed steroids for Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson and other athletes, was suspended Monday from practicing medicine in Canada for 18 months and fined $5,000 by the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons. Astaphan, 45, said he began prescribing drugs to athletes in 1983 when he learned that some coached by Charlie Francis were dosing themselves. Astaphan said he was concerned that the athletes "would kill themselves."

Not since he ran in the 100-meter final last Sept. 24 at the Seoul Olympics has Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson had more at stake than he will today, when he begins his testimony before the Canadian government's commission of inquiry into drug use by athletes. Johnson won the 100 meters at Seoul in the fastest time ever, 9.79 seconds, but the gold medal and the world record were taken away after he tested positive for an anabolic steroid in a post-race drug test. Upon returning to his Toronto home, Johnson said at a news conference that he never "knowingly" used banned drugs, apparently attempting to place the blame on his coach, Charlie Francis, and his doctor, Jamie Astaphan.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, banned two years from international competition after testing positive for steroid use at the Seoul Olympics, told an Italian television interviewer that he is training for a comeback next year with an eye toward the 1992 Games in Barcelona. "My dream is to compete in the next Olympics. I want to face Carl Lewis again," Johnson said in a taped interview to be broadcast Thursday. Johnson, accompanied by his manager, Larry Heidelbrecht, remained tight-lipped during the interview with veteran Italian entertainer Mike Bongiorno about accusations by his physician, Jamie Astaphan, that he used steroids.

Ben Johnson's doctor concluded his testimony Wednesday after 5 1/2 days before the Canadian government's inquiry into drug use by athletes, the fate of his medical practice in Canada apparently in the hands of the commissioner, Justice Charles L. Dubin. Jamie Astaphan left the hearing room without commenting to reporters, but his attorney, David Sookram, said that he is not concerned about whether anyone but Dubin believes in Astaphan's fitness to practice medicine. Astaphan's treatment of patients, as well as his ethics and credibility, were challenged while he was on the stand by attorneys for the Sports Medicine Council of Canada, the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Johnson.

One of two Canadian sprinters to advance to the 100-meter finals in the Seoul Olympics said Tuesday that he and Ben Johnson were given a honey and vinegar mixture that was supposed to help them beat the post-race drug test. But Desai Williams told the Canadian government's inquiry into drug use by athletes that he and Johnson did not drink the mixture after the race as instructed by their physician, Jamie Astaphan. Johnson, who won the race, subsequently was disqualified after testing positive for an anabolic steroid.

Ben Johnson's international agent, who reportedly arranged an exclusive interview with a West German magazine, was refused entry to the Canadian sprinter's home Thursday. "Ben, let me in--open the door," New York agent Larry Heidebrecht pleaded at the front entry of the Johnson family's suburban home. "Ben, I've got to talk to you." Officials at the Seoul Olympics stripped Johnson of his gold medal from Saturday's 100-meter race--run in a world-record time of 9.

Ben Johnson's physician has arrived in Canada and is ready to testify before a federal inquiry--possibly next week, his lawyer said. Jamie Astaphan and lawyer David Sookram met for several hours with counsel representing the federal commission investigating the scandal surrounding Johnson's positive drug test at the Seoul Olympics. The inquiry is currently in recess and is scheduled to resume next Wednesday. Astaphan has remained at his home on St. Kitts since Johnson failed a drug test and was stripped of the 100-meter world record and Olympic gold medal last September.

Tommy Chaikin sold his story about taking steroids as a University of South Carolina football player to Sports Illustrated. Margo Adams recounted her affair with Wade Boggs of the Boston Red Sox in Penthouse. Now, Jamie Astaphan is out to market himself in the thriving sport of kiss-and-tell publishing. Astaphan, one-time physician of Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, who tested positive for anabolic steroids at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, reportedly is negotiating to sell his story instead of testifying before a Canadian federal inquiry into drug abuse in sport, according to the French news agency, Agence France Presse.