1983 – Surprise Drug Testing at Pan Am Games Leads Many Athletes to Withdraw from Competition

“The modern age of drug testing essentially started at the 1983 Pan Am Games in Caracas, Venezuela. A team of scientists… developed a new method for steroid testing in anticipation of two large international sporting events that year, the Pan Games and world track and field championships…

The Pan Am drug testing caught a lot of athletes by surprise… a dozen American athletes in various events suddenly withdrew from the competition and returned to the U.S., and at least another dozen athletes from other countries also left without explanation.

Nineteen athletes in total failed drug tests at the 1983 Pan Ams.”