posted Oct 19, 2007

laouane >> the best way to avoid getting caught as a drug cheat is to miss tests - Ohuruogu missed 3 flipping tests (not just 1 isolated test)

being British does not equate to being honest - tell that to DWAIN CHAMBERS (remember him, the 100 metres athlete running on jet fuel)

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posted Oct 19, 2007

Basically athletes are cleared because the testing is inadequate obviously,not just who they were.
However Dick Pound gave a list of athletes who had failed testing prior to 2000 games but the powers that be in the USA choose to ignore it and the athletes competed anyway.
Once the Olympics ceased to be amateur they ceased to be honest in my opinion.

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posted Oct 19, 2007

akaphantomoftheopera. what an difficult name u have, any way, i didn't mean al britains are honnest...but when we talk in general we mean the majority..cauz in the end everywhere in the world u find honnest people and unhonnest ones. if britisch are not honnest they wil not ferbied chaimbers from any olympic games...u didn't understand what i mean, and pity my englich is not that good as the poet mister mrirland

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posted Oct 20, 2007

Thanks for your kind words, louane....

Phantom, I don't think we can compare Christine with people like Marion Jones. Christine missed some drug tests, and served her punishment, which was a one-year ban.

If you remember, Gatlin served a ban for a drugs infringement earlier in his career. That is why, when he tested positive again, his ban was much harsher....

I agree with mrireland about Dick Pound and that 2000 list. I think it's fair to say that the US have experienced a wake-up call, and there should be some changes across the pond now.

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posted Oct 20, 2007

I have enjoyed reading the debate thus far. It is, in the main, between the true believers and the skeptics. I fall into the latter camp, but wonder how many people around the world even care about this issue. My guess is that, generally speaking, viewers are only drawn to the Olympics, a form of entertainment that relies on massive commercial interests. Further, they rarely consider drug abuse and more importantly, watch the Olympics because 'everyone else does'. It's a global event will comparable interests at stake.

Such (financial and political) interests are driving athletics these days. This is not to that say that money necessitates corruption, but that the desire to win and obtain substantial material wealth can prove hard to resist (for athletes, coaches and related organizations).

The problem we face in passing judgments about the extent of drug abuse is that we lack substantial evidence. We resort to conspiracy theories to bolster our arguments. For instance, I believe that Athletics is rotting from the top, down. I think that Asafa Powell is controlled very carefully. His betters allow him to break world records (drug-free, of course) as long as he accomplishes his tasks at frivolous meets. This is a deal that he gladly accepted, given the financial considerations. He may be called a choker, but he's still the world's fastest man.

Elsewhere, Allyson Felix runs a 200m in Flo-Jo style (apparently, beating the competition by six meters is not remotely suspicious) just before Marion Jones admits to years of substance abuse. Yes, Jones is in the spotlight, but women's track is still strong in the pre-Olympic year. What a coincidence and relief it must be for those with financial considerations. Viewers will tune in en-masse to watch Felix obliterate the competition next year. Perhaps, she will finally demonstrate that a drug-free athlete can topple Flo-Jo's times.

Wait, did I say drug-free? I must have become a true believer whilst typing....

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posted Oct 20, 2007

Felix is just talented,she stil too young,she wil be naturaly beter. but no women is going to break that artificial records flo jo let.a women record in 100 m for example is not possible below 10,6s.

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posted Oct 20, 2007

Somehow, Kirk, I can't see Asafa passing up a chance to win the Olympic or world champs gold medal....

Can you imagine how much money he could demand if he had BOTH the world record AND a world gold?

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posted Oct 21, 2007

what was this rocket fuel that flo jo was on, it must have been one very special drug to make her run that fast .if she was, was she the only athlete to ever have used this secret drug, did she create it herself in the kitchen , if she was on it, others must have been on or used the same drug, and still not run as fast as what she did, marion jones record times are artificial, cos she cheated, shes admitted it, why is it not possible for a woman to go under 10.6, why that magic figure, we wil never kno what the fastest drug free run,in womens or mens 100 metre is frankly

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posted Oct 22, 2007

To Kirk_Jenson i totally agree with you that athletics is corrupt from the top down. When Samaranch was in power the key members of the IOC were nicknamed "The Club". It consisted of the key power heads in sport the FA director and the President of the Athletics Governing Body, were the two powerheads down from samaranch himself because they controlled the two biggest sports in the world!! So yeah its corrupt from the head down but that is what makes sport interesting lol!

As for Jones at the aledge time of taking the drug ("the clear" or THG) there was no specific test to identify the substance within the body, hence the name clear. It hasnt been till recently (2004) that WADA have been able to produce a very simplistic test to determine use of THG within the body. Thing is most athletes would take performance enhancing drugs if a) the would win but b) would do so without getting caught. She is just another who beat the system.

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