French doping agency says two players failed drugs tests at French Open

PARIS (AP) _ Two unidentified players failed drug tests at the French Open, France's Council to Prevent and Fight Doping reported Monday. <br><br>One player tested positive for a banned stimulant,

Monday, July 8th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PARIS (AP) _ Two unidentified players failed drug tests at the French Open, France's Council to Prevent and Fight Doping reported Monday.

One player tested positive for a banned stimulant, the other for a restricted local anesthetic, an official at CPLD said, speaking on the traditional condition of anonymity.

The official refused to confirm a report in French sports daily L'Equipe that one of the players was male and the other female.

CPLD president Michel Boyon, the only person authorized to speak on behalf of the organization, was not immediately available for comment.

The CPLD will not release the names of the players until a probe into the test results is completed. Players would be allowed to request a B-sample test and would be asked to appear before the CPLD.

The CPLD can impose bans ranging from one month to life on athletes guilty of drug offenses. The ban would only apply to events in France.

Last week at Wimbledon, the WTA said it would introduce random, out-of-competition testing this year for performance-enhancing substances. Americans Venus Williams and Jennifer Capriati said they were unhappy about the plans.

The ATP said the men's tour already does unannounced, out-of-competition testing.