Armstronglivs wrote:
It is fundamentally different from a court of criminal law. A breach of the doping rules is breaking the rules governing sports. It isn't a crime that earns the sanctions of the criminal law. That is why the burden of proof is not the same as in a criminal case.
The only thing it has in common with the criminal court process is that the grounds for the offence have to be established (to the satisfaction of those adjudicating) and the authorities have to adhere to their prescribed procedures. The process is thus open to appeal to a court - but not in the criminal jurisdiction. The similarities may be there but the difference is crucial. It is a misunderstanding of this process to see that it is either the same as the criminal law process - or that it should be. Houlihan broke certain rules governing her participation in sport; she is not a criminal (and correspondingly cannot argue she should have been tried through the criminal law process). She has been kicked out of the club for 4 years, like a member who broke the club's rules.
According to the Rodchenkov act, she also might be criminally charged:
-It shall be unlawful for any person, other than an athlete, to knowingly carry into effect, attempt to carry into effect, or conspire with any other person to carry into effect a scheme in commerce to influence by use of a prohibited substance or prohibited method any major international sports competition. (b) Extraterritorial Jurisdiction.--There is extraterritorial Federal jurisdiction over an offense under this section.
Let the FBI interviewer those who test +. If they lie to the investigators then they have definitely broken the law….
