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USA Track & Field lauds
USADA initiative INDIANAPOLIS USA Track & Field (USATF) today lauded the U.S. Anti-Doping Agencys (USADA) initiative to identify and pursue possible drug cheats in track & field and other sports. USA Track & Field does not know the full details of the cases, as they are exclusively under USADA jurisdiction, but we strongly believe that all those responsible for drugs in sport, including supplement laboratories, chemists, coaches, and athletes, should be held accountable for their actions. The vast majority of track and field athletes are committed to competing clean, and just last week, track and field athletes gathered in Miami at a historic Elite Athlete Summit hosted by USATF to tackle doping and other issues. At the Summit, there were near unanimous calls to severely punish the coaches of athletes convicted of doping offenses. Some attendees supported a form of whistle-blower program in which those within the sport could keep drug-testers informed of trends in drug use, and where to test in order to find users of those drugs. Others called for the USOC to follow the lead of the professional sports leagues to hire private investigators to identify supplement lab gurus and problem coaches in all sports before they prey on athletes. We now see through USADAs announcement today that several of these initiatives are in place and have reaped impressive results. One conclusion from our Elite Athlete Summit, and now from USADAs announcement, is that it is vital that we continue to proactively root out cheaters and those individuals who encourage cheating. This sets a standard for other Olympic and professional sports to follow, and helps protect the reputations of the vast majority of track athletes who are not cheating. We are proud that USADA and our own sport have already started that process and we welcome the support of the USOC and other sports organizations in this effort.
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