The virtues of athletics find highest expression in the Olympic Games. Since its rebirth in Athens in 1896, the Olympic movement has played an essential role in strengthening peaceful democracy and nurturing the human spirit. "Olympic moments" define the best in all of us: a Greek shepherd capturing the first victory in the modern marathon, Jesse Owens winning four gold medals to spoil Hitler's Aryan superiority pageant, the Czech hockey team defeating Russia on the anniversary of the tanks rolling into Prague, and Jim Redmond racing from the stands to help his badly injured son finish his 400-meter race in Barcelona. These efforts embody the vision of Pierre de Coubertin, father of the modern Olympics, of an ethos expressly linking the development of character and values with the struggle to excel athletically.

However, a recent case involving the gold medal for snowboarding at the Nagano Olympics and the use of illegal drugs jeopardizes the values upon which the movement is founded. The international Court of Arbitration for Sport ruled that the anti-drug rules of the Olympics apply only to drugs that are "performance enhancing." The court's decision stands to tarnish the movement and sends the wrong message. It is now incumbent on the International Olympic Committee to close this loophole.

The Olympics are not alone in struggling with the problem of illegal drugs. Drugs are a major threat to the integrity of virtually all professional sports leagues. Not a season goes by without some star player being exposed as a drug user. The National Football League continues to have drug difficulties -- its most popular team is now forced to spend over a million dollars a year to confront behavioral problems often associated with the use of illegal drugs. Baseball maintains league rules that allowed Steve Howell, a pitcher for Los Angeles Dodgers, to test positive for drugs on six occasions and still play. The most clear threat is faced by the National Basketball Association where estimates are that 60 to 70 percent of the players smoke marijuana. NBA league rules do not even apply to marijuana, and players feel free to exploit this loophole and break the law in doing so.

Most troubling is the impact the acceptance of drugs in sports is having on young people. Over the last four years, the use of marijuana by college athletes has increased by a shocking 7 percent, up to a total 28.4 percent. Seven percent of the student athletes reporting marijuana use say they took the drug over forty times during the past year. The use of other drugs, such as amphetamines, cocaine, and hallucinogens, is also up among NCAA athletes. Overall youth drug use rates remain alarmingly high. For example, a study by Penn State University found that 175,000 high school girls reported taking steroids, a drug used to enhance athletic performance, at least once. The messages, intended orunintended, sent by athletes are being heard by young people.

While the bad news dominates the sports pages, athletics can play an important, positive role in fighting drug use. The NCAA Foundation is working to help student athletes deal with illegal drug and alcohol abuse. While struggling internally with drugs, many professional leagues -- as well as corporate sponsors and players -- are working to give kids positive sports messages. For example, through "Athletes Against Drugs," top stars are speaking out against drugs. And the women's league, the WNBA, is setting a positive example, without a single drug incident in its inaugural season. Unfortunately, every new sports drug scandal eclipses all of these efforts, leaving our children with the false belief that "all the stars do it."

We have to set the score straight on drugs and sports.

The first step is to reform the institutions of sport. We have to put in place league rules that provide for drug-testing programs and tough sanctions, accompanied by treatment for those who test positive. Most notably, we need to close the NBA's marijuana loophole. Even Charles Barkley, the basketball star noted for role-model reticence, has called for a two step system: the first positive drug test would trigger a mandatory year suspension and treatment. The second would trigger a mandatory lifetime suspension.

The second step is to better communicate counter-drug values. We need to develop community partnerships with sponsors and leagues to help develop character-building athletic programs, which include drug-free education. We need to educate coaches -- the most important mentors next to parents -- about the dangers of drugs, help them spot the danger signs, and encourage them to work with parents to get at-risk kids into counseling and treatment. Sponsors, from sporting goods manufacturers to sports networks, need to tell kids not only that they can do it, but that they can do it drug-free.

Most of all, those who believe in the value of athletics must team up to deliver one simple, clear message to our children about illegal drug use: "Users are losers. Be a winner."