WMRA Champion positive test

[TheHeathens]

Talking of drugs...there was a report on the news last night saying the government is going to ask athletes to sign a contract, agreeing to have their rooms searched during the 2012 games. The minister made reference to blood doping.

This is basically an admission of failure in dealing with the dopers. In effect they're saying "we can't do anything about blood doping in the sport, except perhaps to catch them in the act, with a syringe sticking in their arms."

Discuss?

Just an addition to this: Doping in sport isn't illegal in the UK whereas it is in many other countries, hence the need for the athletes to sign a contract agreeing to having their rooms searched.

My view is that drug testing is just one way of catching the drug cheats; why would you want to exclude other methods as well? That would be like the police only using DNA evidence to solve crime.

[CL]

Just an addition to this: Doping in sport isn't illegal in the UK whereas it is in many other countries, hence the need for the athletes to sign a contract agreeing to having their rooms searched.

My view is that drug testing is just one way of catching the drug cheats; why would you want to exclude other methods as well? That would be like the police only using DNA evidence to solve crime.

Good point there, but in the context of sport shouldn't it be illegal under the crime of fraud? After all if athletes are making money from cheating then they are claiming rewards that rightly belong to others.

I'm not against room searches particularly since blood doping can't be detected on the tests. I just think the athletes will get their transfusions somewhere outside the Olympic village. This would render the contracts worthless.

[Witton Park]

I just think the athletes will get their transfusions somewhere outside the Olympic village. This would render the contracts worthless.

They may make other arrangements - but surely increased pressure, increased testing, heightened vigilence - these are what will turn the screw.

I would have thought that you would welcome any move that was seen to be a step in the right direction to detecting cheats, however small the step.

It seems that you're just sucking up to the Druggies

[TheHeathens]

Good point there, but in the context of sport shouldn't it be illegal under the crime of fraud? After all if athletes are making money from cheating then they are claiming rewards that rightly belong to others.

Yes it should be - there probably needs to be a test case to establish case law, or the law needs to be changed to encompass sporting cheats.

[biara]

1) Agree with comments on doping should be illegal but wouldn't there need to be an intent to defraud? If there was an accidental overdose on cough medicine, I'd think a person would never be found guilty.
2) Whole doping would probably need to be looked at if this was made illegal, as do some of these drugs actually make a difference. Marijuana is I believe on the banned list but try proving that it was taken to improve the speed of a sprinter or increase endurance.
3) Room searches are just another weapon but if rooms are shared, there could be a problem as each person could deny usage of a syringe.
I don't think it will ever be stamped out but the more that is done to make drug use difficult the better.