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08-04-2008, 04:47 PM
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Sorry, No CODs...
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__________________
"Statistics always remind me of fellow who drowned in a river where the average depth was only three feet."
-Woody Hayes
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08-05-2008, 07:52 AM
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One chance is all you need
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American cyclists arrive in black masks - Yahoo! News
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American cyclists arrive in black masks
BEIJING (Reuters) - Unidentified members of the U.S. cycling squad arrived at Beijing airport wearing black respiratory masks, a U.S. Olympic committee spokesman said on Tuesday.
One woman wearing a mask which covered the nose and mouth was in what appeared to be an American team T-shirt, photographs showed. A male wore a white T-shirt with BEIJING in black letters across the chest.
"I suspect it was their choice, you would have to talk to them as to what prompted them to do this. I will say this, I am not a scientist, but in my view that was unnecessary," said Darryl Seibel, chief communications officer of the U.S. Olympic Committee.
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08-05-2008, 07:59 AM
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Cognoscente of Omphaloskepsis
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I will say this, I am not a scientist, but in my view that was unnecessary
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During the Tour de France they were talking about how cyclists actually rode faster after a mild rain because it increased the amount of oxygen in the air.
If there is any group of athletes who will be sensitive to poor air it is the folks riding 120 or 239 klicks.
These folks are machines that run on oxygen. I would imagine distance runners are in a similar category - although all athletes are affected to some degree (except golfers and NASCAR drivers of course).
You wouldn't run the 100 meters in the mud because the problem would be too obvious. Yet we are asking the finest athletes in the world to display their skills in an environment where they may not be able to breathe properly.
If somebody wants to wear a black mask to call attention to that issue I am fine with that.
Last edited by Oh8ch; 08-05-2008 at 08:04 AM.
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08-05-2008, 08:01 AM
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One chance is all you need
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IOC strips gold from 2000 US relay team - Yahoo! News
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IOC strips gold from 2000 US relay team
By STEPHEN WILSON, AP Sports Writer
Sat Aug 2, 9:43 AM ET
BEIJING - The International Olympic Committee stripped gold medals Saturday from the U.S. men's 1,600-meter relay team that competed at the 2000 Olympics in the aftermath of Antonio Pettigrew's admission that he was doping at the time.
The IOC executive board disqualified the entire team, the fourth gold and sixth overall medal stripped from that U.S. track contingent in the past eight months for doping.
Three gold and two bronze were previously removed after Marion Jones confessed to using performance-enhancing drugs.
Saturday's decision was almost a formality after Pettigrew gave up his gold medal in June. During a trial involving former track coach Trevor Graham, he admitted in May that he used EPO and human growth hormone from 1997 to 2003.
Five of Pettigrew's teammates also lose their medals: Michael Johnson and twins Alvin and Calvin Harrison ran in the final; Jerome Young and Angelo Taylor ran in the preliminaries.
It was Johnson's fifth gold medal of his stellar career. He has already said he was giving it back because he felt "cheated, betrayed and let down" by Pettigrew's testimony. Johnson still holds world records in the 200 and 400 meters.
Three of the four runners from the relay final have been tainted by drugs.
Alvin Harrison accepted a four-year ban in 2004 after admitting he used performance-enhancers. Calvin Harrison tested positive for a banned stimulant in 2003 and was suspended for two years. Young was banned for life for doping violations.
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 Hopefully future athletes learn from these past mistakes but I don't hold any hope for that. It's amazing how often track athletes get caught (worldwide, not just in the US) because they know how often they are tested for doping and how severe the consequences are.
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08-05-2008, 08:14 AM
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Cognoscente of Omphaloskepsis
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Hopefully future athletes learn from these past mistakes but I don't hold any hope for that. It's amazing how often track athletes get caught (worldwide, not just in the US) because they know how often they are tested for doping and how severe the consequences are.
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But how bad ARE the consequences, really?
As I understand this incident without the admission there is no penalty. Testing was common long before 2000. We have no idea how many athletes win with drugs and are never identified. If you can run clean and miss the games or run juiced and garner international acclaim and more than a little bit of cash perhaps the risk/reward equation looks pretty favorable.
So long as the advantage gained is sufficient, those who cheat will out perform those who do not (cheaters really do prosper) and will rise to the top. So maybe some folks are getting the message - but the result is they aren't in Beijing. |
08-05-2008, 08:56 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Oh8ch
But how bad ARE the consequences, really?
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Depending on what your definition of bad is... if you are competing in a sport that you love and use a banned substance to gain a competitive advantage a 2-year or lifetime ban could be personally devastating. That is the question anyone who uses a banned substance has to tackle: is it worth the risk? Unfortunately there are those that say it is worth that risk.
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As I understand this incident without the admission there is no penalty. Testing was common long before 2000. We have no idea how many athletes win with drugs and are never identified. If you can run clean and miss the games or run juiced and garner international acclaim and more than a little bit of cash perhaps the risk/reward equation looks pretty favorable.
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This specific incident was seemingly based on admission alone but I can't help but wonder what brought this out. Usually an admission comes about as a reaction to testing threats or after a positive test has been given but in this case the article does not mention either of those situations.
Also, almost every governing body (including USATF) state that if you are caught doping then any prize money and/or awards must be returned upon a positive test/admission. There have also been instances where corporate sponsors have sued to get their money back from the athlete.
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So long as the advantage gained is sufficient, those who cheat will out perform those who do not (cheaters really do prosper) and will rise to the top. So maybe some folks are getting the message - but the result is they aren't in Beijing.
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Not necessarily... Do you think Lance Armstrong was doping during any of his 7 Tour de France wins? Do you think Michael Johnson was doping in when he set his world records? (Not necessarily asking you Oh8ch... more of a rhetorical question) I'd take a physical specimen like those who have tested negative time and time again over anyone who may get a temporary boost by doping. I guess I'm forever the optimist that we'll see less and less doping in Olympic sports and will give the benefit of the doubt to the athlete unless they test positive/admit to doping... but I'm also a realist that this is an issue that will never go away.
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08-05-2008, 12:45 PM
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One chance is all you need
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A reporter's picks on who will win every medal: Medal Picks - Brian Cazeneuve - SI.com |
08-05-2008, 08:19 PM
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Cognoscente of Omphaloskepsis
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