The 2004 Olympic Games in Athens are notable for at least two peculiarities beyond the athletic feats: the heavy security and the numerous athletes suspended for drug use.

America’s own efforts against performance-enhancing drugs were splashed across the front pages earlier this year when a scandal involving the Bay Area Laboratory Cooperative tainted coaches and athletes alike. The FBI is combing through BALCO’s records to uncover the sale, distribution, and use of illegal drugs. Some athletes are cooperating with the authorities; others are protesting their innocence. Suspensions have been handed out.

In July, the drug suspensions cast a giant shadow on America’s Olympic track and field trials at Sacramento. In August, the games in Greece kicked off with further drug suspensions. The United States Anti-Doping Agency has formally notified track stars Michelle Collins, Alvin Harrison, and the world’s record holder in the 100-meter dash, Tim Montgomery, that it plans to ban them for life because of steroid use.

Neither Mr. Montgomery nor Ms. Collins has ever failed a drug test. The USADA calls their cases “non-analytical positives,” meaning that other evidence suggests steroid use. Testing positive in a drug test isn’t necessary. In the BALCO case, the appearance of an athlete’s name on a list of clients was sufficient. The presence of drugs in an athlete’s blood is not necessary for suspension.The presence of masking agents is enough. Refusing to submit to a drug test, missing a scheduled test, or ducking an unscheduled test are all also sufficient grounds for suspension. In other words, circumstantial evidence can be decisive.

This brings us to the search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Critics of the war seem to want to react to Saddam Hussein and the threat of an attack on America using chemical, biological, or nuclear weapons using a lower standard than we use for assuring fair competition between Olympic athletes. By our lights, though, preventing a massive terrorist attack on America is even more important than fair play on the track.

As we’ve written, with each day more concrete evidence is emerging that Saddam had chemical weapons, biological weapons, and nuclear material, and that he wanted more. Some of it may well have been transferred to Syria before the war.

But there were plenty of well-documented “non-analytical positives” in Iraq’s case, too – Saddam’s failure to cooperate with international inspectors, his efforts at concealment. Opponents of Iraq’s liberation might take a look at the code of standards in force at Athens. It’s at least one way the Olympics are an example to the world.