Doping Ban - WADA increases ban from 2 to 4 Years

I think it is good news. People sometimes get bent out of shape about the prospect of false positives getting punished for years, but to me it seems recent years have shown that possibility to be less than a non-issue. It seems so common that athletes have their ban reduced, retroactively applied, or even eliminated by technicalities or other special circumstances that I think the risk of cheaters getting off easy far outweighs the risk of false positives.

Therefore I am in favor of the four year ban, but I also wonder if this will make officials feel even more pressure to entertain ridiculous excuses.

Ultimately, harsher punishments won't make much difference if no one tests positive. Even better testing and the blood passport are only a small step in the right direction. The biggest barrier to progress is the attitudes of doping officials, governing bodies, the athletes, and especially the fans. Until the fans stop thinking going after obvious dopers is a witch hunt, there won't be many changes.

Great news. It's about time.

Didn't they try to enforce this once before but had to remove it because the EEC complained that it impinged on athletes' right to have an income? Or am I dreaming this?

deanouk wrote:

Great news. It's about time.

Didn't they try to enforce this once before but had to remove it because the EEC complained that it impinged on athletes' right to have an income? Or am I dreaming this?

you're not dreaming

this was an issue

damn socialism

good news for NOP

the africans will have to dial it down even more

while they get to keep the TUEs

What makes someone an obvious doper?

Ah yes... now the war on drugs is sure to work!

are you really dick pounder

Nah... If I were I'd hate myself for making doping rules for athletes and WADA and then not following them myself.

no word on TUEs yet

alberto breathes a sigh of relief

another good year ahead for rupp and farah

Dick Pound wrote: Nah... If I were I'd hate myself for making doping rules for athletes and WADA and then not following them myself.

Yes, like the USADA makes up its own rules, where accusations are allowed to take precedence over drug test results, statue of limitations does not apply, and new tests invented in the future can be a reason for retesting ancient samples.

wadup wada wrote:

no word on TUEs yet

alberto breathes a sigh of relief

another good year ahead for rupp and farah

Plus you don't even need a TUE for thyroid meds.

Exactly. If the USADA makes up the rules as it goes along, then someone should post satirically about them using USASA or Tygart as a handle.

Pound was a political nightmare of a blowhard who loved to police athletes and hated to be policed himself. It's a good thing that he's gone.

The people behind WADA have at least a twofold agenda, (1) to gain more control of WHO wins, who loses, and (2) to keep promoting their drugs, the idea that drugs are necessary to "win", unless of course you're one of their chosen ones.

It is a good step, but does not go far enough. It does take an athlete out of an olympic cycle, but many will still take that risk to dope. They need to have lifetime bans for positive tests at WCs and Olympics. It is one thing to get beat by a doper at a diamond league meet in Europe on a Thursday afternoon in the summer. It is an entirely different matter to get knocked off the podium at a championship event due to a doper.

A four year ban is great news!

It doesn't "fix" the doping problems, but it's a step in the right direction.

I'm all for it.

Get rid of WADA and you'll solve the drug problem.

J.R. wrote:

The people behind WADA have at least a twofold agenda, (1) to gain more control of WHO wins, who loses, and (2) to keep promoting their drugs, the idea that drugs are necessary to "win", unless of course you're one of their chosen ones.

Control, greed, power.

The ones behind WADA are the same ones who are running the drug fiasco.

after this they should sort out NOP and the TUE situation

people like dr brown should have no role in sport

lost in Boston wrote:

A four year ban is great news!

It doesn't "fix" the doping problems, but it's a step in the right direction.

I'm all for it.

Exactly and at least it gives a more adequate punishment