When are we going to start talking about the US as a high risk nation for doping? US sprinters are as bad as Kenyan distance runners, and its not talked about enough.
Let's keep perspective here. The US is a country of 340 million people that has had a handful of doping busts. Kenya is a country of 56 million people that has had HUNDREDS of doping busts.
Kenya's has had about 10 times as many dopers as the US despite having less than one-fifth of the population.
I don't understand what people think USADA and Tygart did wrong with Knighton. USADA prosecuted the case in arbitration, making all the standard arguments they were supposed to, and it was the arbiters who found Knighton met his burden.
What more was USADA and Tygart supposed to do?
"standard arguments", yes, as in pro forma trying, but not seriously.
What more? How often have you asked this question? For starters:
1) Ban Knighton provisionally and publicy (see AIU's policy) while investigating.
2) Ban Knighton for four years (see Armstrong + Salazar) after investigation.
3) If Knighton appeals, go with the full 3-person arbitration (see Armstrong + Salazar).
4) In the arbitration, fight tooth and nail. F. ex. cite lots of precedence cases that the exact amount matters, instead of letting the defense get away with claiming it does not:
Respondent emphasizes that the plain language of Article 10.5 of the Code does not require Respondent to prove that the amount of epitrenbolone in the contaminated oxtail precisely and mathematically correlates with the amount of trenbolone found in the March 26, 2024 sample to meet his burden of proving No Fault or Negligence. Rather, the Code only requires that Respondent prove (on a balance of probability) how epitrenbolone entered his system.
Case in point, from the CAS Media Release, the amount does matter:
After considering the scientific evidence, the CAS Panel determined that there is no proof that would support the conclusion that oxtail imported into the USA would be likely to contain trenbolone residues at the level required to have caused the Athlete’s Adverse Analytical Finding.
5) IF Knighton wins in arbitration, appeal. Do not state "justice" had been served.
Do you have any examples of other ADAs and ADOs meeting these higher standards, or can you point to where the WADA Code obliges ADAs and ADOs to go above and beyond standard prosecutions based on analytical findings?
Once the labs return an AAF, the ADAs and ADOs are not required to do any further investigations -- the burden shifts to the athlete. That imbalance is explicitly provided by the WADA Code.
Who said things like "pro forma" and "not seriously"? This looks like your imagination.
1) Is not required under the WADA Code, and does not impact the arbitration process or outcome.
2) Interesting. I would actually agree with increasing the burden on the anti-doping organizations, e.g. requiring all ADAs and ADOs to do such lengthy investigations to prove exogenous doping actually occurred, rather than make weak arguments relying on statistical probabilities across the nation, and improperly applying general probabilities to specific cases. Note that WA and WADA does not appear to have made such lengthy investigations comparable to USADA's non-analytical investigations into Armstrong and Salazar, and that Armstrong and Salazar were able to compete/coach until USADA's detailed investigations were complete.
4) This presumes the CAS Panel got it right, while the original arbitration didn't. If the exact amount matters, that should be made explicit in the Code, rather than subject to whimsical and unpredictable decisions made by arbitration panels.
5) It doesn't matter to the process or outcome what USADA/Tygart says after the arbitraion decision. It's also not clear whether Tygart was talking about whether Knighton simply had his "due process" or whether he agreed with the outcome.
I said nothing about "meeting these higher standards" and "go above and beyond standard prosecutions based on analytical findings" and "requiring all ADAs and ADOs to do such lengthy investigations to prove exogenous doping actually occurred" - this is all your in your imagination.
Yes! A win for the clean sport, a devastating loss for the pro-dopers here. All rekbots go home devastated.
Whoever is devastated depends on whether Knighton knowingly doped, or whether he was railroaded to a 4-year ban because a panel of arbitrators decided the athlete didn't meet the high burden of identifying the more likely than not source.
It looks like this CAS Panel was persuaded by similar arguments that trenbolone contamination in the USA would be statistically unlikely. This precedent will be devastating for both clean and dirty athletes.
I said nothing about "meeting these higher standards" and "go above and beyond standard prosecutions based on analytical findings" and "requiring all ADAs and ADOs to do such lengthy investigations to prove exogenous doping actually occurred" - this is all your in your imagination.
You also said nothing that showed USADA or Tygart did anything wrong.
USADA did exactly what they were supposed to do, as required by the Code. They charged the athlete, and took it to arbitration.
It was the arbiters who had to weigh how persuaded they were by the evidence and arguments, and they decided against USADA in favor of Knighton, subjectively assessing that Knighton met his burden of proof.
Good to take down another doper, but people aren't ready to have the conversation that Bolt was probably doping...
Probably? 9.58. ??
With all of his Jamaican teammates, running out of their minds, at the same time, and then disappearing a year or two later?
Every time any commentator fauns over bolt, I roll my eyes.
There’s a reason his last half of his career, he was winning, but running 9.7s and 9.8s. I assume he cleaned up his act over the last year, and that’s why things were much closer.
Something needs to be done about USADA’s participation in the coverup here. Knighton was allowed to run at the US trials and the Olympics after his positive test. USADA was a willing participant in a scheme to steal a medal from a clean athlete.
This is nonsense. If any of you had taken trenbolone, or knew anything about how it interacts with the body, you would see how ridiculous it is to believe an athlete would take it. Inject 100mg of trenbolone acetate, feel what a surge in prostaglandins feels like on the lungs, and tell me how your workout is going when you are finding it hard to breathe. Few of you have any clue. Calling another human being a "scumbag" anyway. Right.
Anyone got count of how many american national team members that have tested positive (or that have whereabout failures) the latest 3-4 years? Must be approaching 50% of the squad?
When are we going to start talking about the US as a high risk nation for doping? US sprinters are as bad as Kenyan distance runners, and its not talked about enough.
Let's keep perspective here. The US is a country of 340 million people that has had a handful of doping busts. Kenya is a country of 56 million people that has had HUNDREDS of doping busts.
Kenya's has had about 10 times as many dopers as the US despite having less than one-fifth of the population.
That might be because very few are tested in the US. There are a handfull caught doping on the national team alone.
I think the point would be Kenya is a country of 56M people with hundreds of doping busts in 1 sport, which is predominantly running (not field).
The US is a country of 340M people with a handful of doping busts. Given the US population is 6 times Kenya, and the US has athletes competing across track & field disciplines, shouldn't there be more than a handful of doping busts?
I think the point would be Kenya is a country of 56M people with hundreds of doping busts in 1 sport, which is predominantly running (not field).
The US is a country of 340M people with a handful of doping busts. Given the US population is 6 times Kenya, and the US has athletes competing across track & field disciplines, shouldn't there be more than a handful of doping busts?
Running is a relatively lucrative sport in Kenya, it's not in the US. Track doesn't really pay more than a good, professional job. You'd find more doing in the money sports if they bothered to test properly but there a reason that major US sports are not covered by USADA/WADA - don't ask, don't tell
With Welteji and Knighton we see that two world-class athletes have been busted on the eve of the championships. As I observed in her thread, it shows yet again that doping is at the top of the sport and it could be anyone now. But, regrettably, most will not be caught.
I dont think many people care about doping,especially when it means getting medals,or world records. .
I'm looking forward to someone explaining exactly why Knighton got a pass (at first) and Shelby didn't. Was it just because USADA was handling the Knighton test while the AIU did Shelby's?
This is a bad look for USADA.
Exactly that. If an athlete tests positive under AIU it's out of USADA's hands.
I have to think it was an intentional decision by CAS to hold this release until the day before Worlds begins.
If you recall, Knighton was provisionally suspended in the spring of 2024 after testing positive for epitrenbolone (a metabolite of trenbolone, the same steroid Jarrion Lawson tested positive for in 2018). USADA charged him with a doping violation but Knighton appealed and an arbiter ruled in favor of Knighton after he claimed he tested positive after consuming a contaminated oxtail.
But both World Athletics and WADA appealed that decision to CAS. The hearing was in June and CAS announced today that it ruled in favor of WADA and World Athletics and Knighton will have to serve a full four-year ban (minus the three months he already served in 2024).
Knighton was the Worlds bronze medalist in the 200 in 2022 and the silver medalist in 2023. He did not make this year's Worlds team.
Exactly 💯, All USA sprinters are fully doped to the gills . Who doesn't know?
Yep. And we all know they're only ahead of the curve of PEDs and testing methods essentially making testers play catch-up, but they're treated super-leniently because they're a legal minefield and can't just be announced even when doping his detected.