Should drug cheats be in olympics?
Discussion
Seems to me that the authorities have little choice.
If drugs were not banned the whole Olympic community would have to accept the use.
The fact is performance enhancing drugs improve performance at these extreme levels.
As an Olympic coach mused twenty years ago when saying:
'If I told my competitors that these drugs would make them winners but kill them within two years, then every one of them would take them'
He identified the problem.
Olympic athletes are competitors who are determined to win.
Sadly at almost any personal cost.
Admirable in a competitor but dangerous unless controlled.
We have no choice.
There is no place for performance enhancing drugs in any sport.
If drugs were not banned the whole Olympic community would have to accept the use.
The fact is performance enhancing drugs improve performance at these extreme levels.
As an Olympic coach mused twenty years ago when saying:
'If I told my competitors that these drugs would make them winners but kill them within two years, then every one of them would take them'
He identified the problem.
Olympic athletes are competitors who are determined to win.
Sadly at almost any personal cost.
Admirable in a competitor but dangerous unless controlled.
We have no choice.
There is no place for performance enhancing drugs in any sport.
Steffan said:
Robsti said:
So no David Millar ?
Cycling along with Weight Lifting has always been high on the illegal drugs scale.No place for this in sport IMO.
Every sport will have people cheating, but most don't test to the same standards.
Sports such as cross country skiing is rife with drug cheats, but they ignore the problem by not testing as rigorously as they could.
I think that athletes found to be doping should be banned for 4/5 years but then allowed to take part againafter that ban is served. This would apply to national, world and Olympic levels, and if they're found doping a second time then they're finished in the sport.
The length of the ban needs to be severe enough to be a real deterrent, but I don't believe they should be banned for life for a first offence as people like Millar prove that some of them simply make a stupid mistake and never want to go there again. Just like criminals who've served a prison sentance athletes deserve the right to be given another chance.
The length of the ban needs to be severe enough to be a real deterrent, but I don't believe they should be banned for life for a first offence as people like Millar prove that some of them simply make a stupid mistake and never want to go there again. Just like criminals who've served a prison sentance athletes deserve the right to be given another chance.
Cavendish on David Millar
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-millars-...
Chris Hoy takes a different view,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8954295/...
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/cavendish-millars-...
Cycling news said:
He was a key component in Great Britain's success at the 2011 Road World Championships in Copenhagen, where he was part of the team that delivered Mark Cavendish to victory. But as things stand, David Millar will be unable to compete at the London 2012 Olympics due to the lifetime ban imposed on him by the British Olympic Association (BOA) for his positive dope test in 2004.
The BOA's strict stance is at odds with WADA guidelines and with the rest of the world, and Cavendish has spoken out in defence of Millar, who has been a prominent anti-doping campaigner over the last few years. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) are set to rule on the BOA's ban early next year. Cavendish, who was recently crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, stated that Millar has served his punishment and needs to be part of the lineup in London if Great Britain are to win gold in the road race. Millar's strengths are obvious and would certainly be invaluable to the team. The 35-year-old is the only British rider to wear the leader's jersey in all three Grand Tours, and his all-round ability has seen him don all three major jerseys in the Tour de France.
I think the problem is that the BOA is enforcing lifetime bans whilst everyone else is following WADA. The BOA's strict stance is at odds with WADA guidelines and with the rest of the world, and Cavendish has spoken out in defence of Millar, who has been a prominent anti-doping campaigner over the last few years. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) are set to rule on the BOA's ban early next year. Cavendish, who was recently crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, stated that Millar has served his punishment and needs to be part of the lineup in London if Great Britain are to win gold in the road race. Millar's strengths are obvious and would certainly be invaluable to the team. The 35-year-old is the only British rider to wear the leader's jersey in all three Grand Tours, and his all-round ability has seen him don all three major jerseys in the Tour de France.
Chris Hoy takes a different view,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/8954295/...
Chris Hoy said:
There is no grey area on this subject for me. I completely support the BOA in its stance and, frankly, I have always been pretty bemused that the rest of the sporting world hasn’t followed suit. Are we serious about fighting against drugs in sport or not?
What message is being sent out when we allow proven ex-dopers into the Olympic Games and offer them the possibility of winning Olympic gold medals against fellow competitors who have been blameless throughout their careers and fought the temptation to cheat and use drugs if ever it presented itself? That has always struck me as illogical and a massive backward step.
I probably agree with Hoy but still think we should, like everyone else, follow WADA guidelines.What message is being sent out when we allow proven ex-dopers into the Olympic Games and offer them the possibility of winning Olympic gold medals against fellow competitors who have been blameless throughout their careers and fought the temptation to cheat and use drugs if ever it presented itself? That has always struck me as illogical and a massive backward step.
I think the Olympics should (always) be clean, however, I am curious to see just how far Man can run, jump, throw, swim, cycle etc with the aid of performance enhancing drugs.
We seem to have improved / enhanced most of the equipment used in sport over the years (better shoes, lighter bikes, aerodynamic clothing) so why not enhance the engine ?
We seem to have improved / enhanced most of the equipment used in sport over the years (better shoes, lighter bikes, aerodynamic clothing) so why not enhance the engine ?
Laurel Green said:
Long Drax said:
And I'd like to see the Olympics return to its original ethos with naked competitors!
now that could be interesting. 
Greeny, each to their own.
Also, we could have it transmitted on 3D-TV.
matt-ITR said:
Long Drax said:
I was thinking more along the lines of Russian women gymnasts, but hey,
You'd probably get in trouble for watching that... they are all 13!
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