Against the Tide - Page 5

In the September 1976 issue of Swimming World, Bob Ingram wrote: “The American women found themselves in the position of Ugly Americans, thanks to some comments from a few of the girls. … Rather than congratulating the winners, specifically the [East German] swimmers, as is customary in the true Olympic spirit of competition, a few of the American girls opted to cry sour grapes instead.”

With or without the 1976 gold medals, Babashoff’s career remains a thing of wonder. She was the 1974 SportsWoman of the Year, Swimming World’s American Swimmer of the Year for 1976, and a 39-time American record holder. She won eight Olympic and 10 World Championship medals, set 11 world records, and was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1982.

These days, it’s clear that Babashoff has dismantled much of that chapter of her life. She coached swimming for a period after the Olympics, and eventually found herself a single parent to Adam, now 22. At the suggestion of her mom, she got a job with the U.S. Postal Service. For 20 years she’s been living her happy, under-the-radar life. The phone rings all the time for interview requests, but she doesn’t care. At 51, she doesn’t even swim much anymore, preferring to get her exercise by biking, kayaking, and delivering mail to about 600 homes a day.

Would she have preferred what life may have offered had she been awarded all those gold medals? Hard to say. Though some awards remain in her garage, much other evidence of her greatness in the pool has been given away—even thrown out. Offering a tour of her backyard garden, with its grapes, figs, tomatoes, and eggplants, she seems as proud of her produce as she does her medals.

Still, what the East Germans did clouds what should be Babashoff’s best memories. “I got this award, the Olympic Order, back in 2005,” she says referring to the highest Olympic award, which is given to individuals for particularly distinguished contributions to the movement. “I was honored, but also angry at the ceremony. Why can’t the Olympic Committee take our girls and just say, ‘This is the award, the medal you should have gotten’? Or if not the medals, then just some acknowledgement that says, ‘To us, you are the winners.’ While everyone is here and alive—just honor them the right way.”

In February 2002, The New York Times described how the International Olympic Committee had started righting some of the wrongs from past games. The newspaper documented that the U.S. Olympic Committee and USA Swimming asked the IOC to award gold medals to Babashoff and the
other American swimmers involved in the 1976 games. The
international body said it would consider requests on a case-by-case basis, but to date no additional gold medals have been awarded, 
nor have the East German swimmers been disqualified.

Back in her living room, Babashoff traces a finger around the lip of a wine glass and wonders if what she did had any impact at all. “We know more today, but more people than ever seem to be cheating. There will always be cheaters, I guess, which is sad. I just wish our team had some justice, you know? The girls deserve better. They were that good.”

How You Can Speak Out
If you’d like to contact the International Olympic Committee about the 1976 doping scandal, send a letter or call:

International Olympic Committee
Château de Vidy
1007 Lausanne
Switzerland
Phone: (41.21) 621.61.11
Fax: (41.21) 621.62.16