Certified Drug Free Policy

That is actually a great article. I think the concept would work, as long as the athletes had confidence in the tests. Unfortunately, it seems that anybody at this point in time who has a positive test claims to be shocked because they are "completely innocent" and use an excuse blaming the scientific basis of the test or sloppy lab procedures for their positive. Most people seem to doubt these excuses are real, but it *MAY* take away the credibility of the tests, and instill fear in some athletes that they will have a legitimately false positive. But it is good to some do support it, like Meb saying he would volunteer and has nothing to hide.

I am not all that familiar with it, but it has worked in body building, where they have the "natural" competitions, and then the "other" competetions. I am not sure if they actually test for drugs in the natural one, of if that is just on the honor system or what, but still a similar concept.

One big problem is money.

Right now the average cost for a urine test is $150 to $200. Currently a blood test is needed to test for EPO and that test is roughly $400.

If you're going to do this properly, I would guess 24 tests a year are needed (every two weeks), maybe 12 tests a year (once a month).

Who is going to pay for this? How many atheltes are willing to plunk down $3,000 to $5,000 a year to prove they are clean. Especially if they are ameteur (NCAA). The coaches cannot buy them a hamburger at lunch for running a foul of NCAA rules. So how are you going to get a poor black sprinter for a southern school to get this money? Given the lack of scholarship money now, you think the track coach can ask for $100,000 from the AD for drug testing? It will never happen.

The otehr problem is the false positive. It is not zero, even WADA admits that. So, you're going to ruin the careers of some innocent athletes, especially ametuers who have no money to defend themselves. What number of innocent careers ruined would be acceptable? Who you be ok if you were the false positive? You would happily end your running career for the greater good of the sport?

While I see some validity in your statements the cost of the testing would not be paid by the athlete.

Just as testing in NCAA sports is not paid for by the athletes, its paid for by the NCAA.

The money would not come out of the school's sports budget.

It would be funded by the NCAA, USADA and WADA.

Also the false positive is already a reality regardless of the volunteering even in the NCAA, national and international competitions.

More money needs to be funded towards improving the quality and accuracy of tests.

We can argue the false positives another time ....

The costs are (many) millions for this proposal. It's not enough to SAY the NCAA, USADA and WADA should pay. They don't have access to this kind of money for a yearly budget. So. where are they going to get it?

For propsective, WADA budget now is $15 million. IF, repeat I, Landis wins his doping case (and if you've seen the millions of post I've done on this subject, you would see he has a CHANCE to win), there is absoutely no way this international organization that unfairly runined an American athletes career will get one more dime more from the U.S. government. The sun has a better chance of exploding. They would be lucky to escape without only a modest decline in U.S. funds.

Same for USADA as they are "prosecuting" Landis.

So two questions, where does the money come from? Second, if Landis wins, where does the money come from?

Ironically, this "Live Strong" style wrist band is offered by a cycling company...

Oofah! Let's tyr this again.

well I don't know where you get your figures from but the WADA budget alone is $23 million plus 50% of the funding comes from governments and the other 50% comes from IOC.

If Landis wins, more funding could be dumped into WADA, to fix these errors.

Your statement of not one more dime is a hyperbole of extraordinary proportions and yes the U.S. gov't does contribute a high amount to WADA: 29% but it will not decrease funding because of a possible error.

That is like assuming the U.S. should stop funding law education when the legal system falsely imprisons an innocent person.

And yes maybe Landis does have a chance but its still an if not a guarantee.

Money comes from governments and IOC.

The number I cited was USADA's budget ($15 million), not WADA's budget. Sorry about the confusion. And, I believe, the majority of USADA's money comes from the U.S. Government.

If Landis, wins, the only way they get more money is for serious "reform" That means, at a minimum, a lot of the top people have to go and better due process. Due process means a lot of athletes accused of doping will walk, unlike the 100% track record they have now (nothing in life is 100%. Any process that is 100% should be viewed with skepticism). If USADA's leaders elect not to go, or not open up to due process, money will be denied.

I beleive the process of tearing USADA/WADA apart is underway. Today's (December 10) LA Times has an "invesitgation" in WADA and it's pretty damming.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-sp-doping10dec10,0,2627563,full.story?coll=la-home-headlines

These kind of multi-part "investigations" often result in Pultizer prizes and runied organizations.

This thread is about how to "certify drug free" sports. What I'm suggesting is the ADA's world is on hold awaiting the outcome of the Landis case. As Landis said himself, the winner gets nothing, the loser gets the death penalty. USADA/WADA knows this and it approaching this case as it they will get the death penalty if they lose. As such, USADA/WADA will stop at NOTHING to win. Same for Landis but he doesn't hold the cards, USADA/WADA does.

I believe many in the mainstream media see USADA/WADA as a out of control organziation and the timing of this investigation is no accident. They are waiting to rip WADA to shreds. They need a catalyst. Landis walking is that catalyst. The ground-work is being put in place.

Whatever the outcome of Landis case is, it will set the direction of doping enforcement for years. So, before we offer suggestions of how to clean up sports, first, tell me what happens with Landis' case and what USADA/WADA looks like a year from now.