A plea for sanity re: drugs

I don't know if anyone can assume what her motivations are.

But, I think as cruel as it may seem for athletes, I think the governing bodies should crack down on drug use to eliminate it. Who wants to see "unfair" competitions? That's not insane. It's sane to want fair competitions.

BTW, on a lighter note, have you tried the UT2004 demo?

Who else thinks the Balco indictments are a cop-out? They charge a few patsy enablers and let the cheating athletes who stood the most to gain walk? Are the feds telling the NFL, MLB, USATF, etc that they've done their part but if the sporting bodies really want to clean up their own houses they're on their own? It's a nice start but there's much work left to be done. Should the months of grand jury testimony by Jacobs, Bonds, etc be turned over the sporting bodies? Make them public? Is it okay to look away when the likes of the NFL's Gene Upshaw declare that they've already cleaned their house?

Here ya go Peak:

At Core of Drug Scandal, Names Are Missing

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/02/14/sports/baseball/14STER.html?ex=1077339600&en=e62ae8f619ade7ee&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

Agency prepared to ban Olympic athletes involved with BALCO

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/7951806.htm

druggies like jacobs and bonds should be stripped of all records....can't wait till they nail geb. and el g!!!

Athletes convicted of drug use should be stripped of ALL records, medals, etc. I mean ALL, even HS school records, state records, 10 year old records, and of course, WR's. That is the only 'hard-line' approach that is acceptable in treating convicted drug abusers.

Firstly, if they took drugs recently, they may have taken them before but not gotten caught, Bulami's Steeplechase record is my primary example of a WR that should be stripped.

Secondly, if someone is successful without drugs and then takes them as they start to slow down with age, ALL previous records and medals should be recinded. This threat may prevent several aging athletes from taking the drugs at all.

Updated 2/13/2004 2:58 PM

Innocent pleas in BALCO bust (Feb. 13, 2004)

Four indicted in alleged distribution scheme (Feb. 12, 2004)

Indictments put Conte in center of scandal (Feb. 12, 2004)

Case could still expose big-time athletes (Feb. 12, 2004)

Barry Bonds appears before grand jury (Dec. 3, 2003)

USA Track & Field recommends lifetime ban for steroid use (Dec. 4, 2003)

Commentary

Bodley: Steroid plan works best in anonymity (Feb. 13, 2004)

Saraceno: Cloud follows Bonds (Nov. 18, 2003)

O'Connor: Time to take a stand (Nov. 17, 2003)

Brennan: Baseball and the man in the lab coat (Oct. 22, 2003)

Questions and answers on THG and doping issues

What is THG, and why is it in the news now?

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, in an Oct. 16, 2003, statement, describes THG (tetrahydrogestrinone) as a "designer steroid, which would not have been detectable in normal laboratory testing." USADA says it received a used syringe from a coach containing the substance. Its associated lab at UCLA developed a test for it, applied that test to samples from this summer's USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships and found "several positive 'A' results," according to the USADA statement. THG is also mentioned on an indictment of four people ? Victor Conte Jr., 53, the CEO of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative; James Valente, 49, a BALCO executive; Greg Anderson, 37, a longtime friend and trainer of Bonds; and track coach Remi Korchemny, 71.

How many athletes have tested positive for THG?

Initial reports suggested that the number could be quite high. But on Oct. 22, 2003, USA Track & Field CEO Craig Masback said his organization had only been notified of four positive results. Masback said three of the four athletes went on to compete in the World Championships, though none won a medal. The USADA is required to notify USA Track & Field of positive results.

Three of the four names ? Regina Jacobs, Melissa Price and John McEwen ? have been released by the U.S. Olympic Committee. The fourth has been widely reported to be Kevin Toth.

Overseas, there is one confirmed positive result ? British sprinter Dwain Chambers, who won a relay medal at the World Championships, has admitted to a positive result but denies taking any illegal substance intentionally. Chambers trains in the United States.

How are athletes' names made public?

Athlete names are not made public until late in the testing process has run. The process works as follows:

? An athlete's urine sample is divided into A and B samples.

? The "A" sample is tested. If it's positive, the athlete, the governing body (in this case, USA Track & Field) and the U.S. Olympic Committee are notified.

? The next step after a positive "A" sample is to test the "B" sample. According to the USADA, this typically occurs within two weeks.

? If the "B" sample is positive, a USADA review board meets, typically within three weeks. When the review board makes its recommendation, the international federation (in this case, IAAF) is required to be notified, though it may receive word earlier in the process.

? If the athlete accepts a sanction, the case is publicly announced for the first time.

? The athlete may appeal a USADA ruling to arbitration panels. The last word goes to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, an international body. This process may take up to three months.

When the USADA issued its release Oct. 16, only "A" samples had been tested; therefore, it was not at liberty to disclose the names.

The USOC, as part of a separate process, will release names 30 days after receiving USADA notification "that sufficient evidence of doping exists to proceed further."

The IAAF announced Oct. 23 that out-of-competition testing before the World Championships had turned up one positive "A" sample. The IAAF says it will not comment on specific cases unless a "B" sample confirms the "A" sample.

One athlete who was never likely to have a positive test, despite a reported association with BALCO, is Marion Jones. The U.S. sprinter gave birth to a child over the summer and did not compete this season; therefore, she would not have been tested at the USA Track & Field Championships.

But haven't many more athletes been subpoenaed?

Yes, but these are not necessarily athletes who have had positive tests, and they have not necessarily used THG or other substances considered to be steroids. Athletes in several sports, most notably baseball players Barry Bonds and Jason Giambi, have been called to testify in a grand jury investigation of BALCO Laboratories, the nutritional supplement company accused by the USADA's whistleblower of being the source of THG.

THG testing is new. Track and field was the first sport to have performed tests.

So a grand jury already is investigating THG?

BALCO was under investigation well before the USADA's Oct. 16 statement. Signs of an active investigation date nearly two years before the indictment was issued Feb. 12, 2004. Local and federal authorities, including IRS agents, raided the company's offices Sept. 3, 2003. The house of Barry Bonds' personal trainer, Greg Anderson, was raided Sept. 5, 2003.

Is there a link between BALCO and Kelli White's positive tests for modafinil at the World Championships?

Yes. Dr. Brian Goldman prescribed the medication to the U.S. sprinter, whose gold medals in the 100 meters and 200 meters are in jeopardy. He told the San Francisco Chronicle that he is a medical director at BALCO. In the February 2004 indictment, the government alleges that three defendants ? not including Goldman ? dispensed modafinil without a valid prescription.

Goldman claims modafinil is not a performance-enhancing drug and says he prescribed it to White to treat narcolepsy. The IAAF disagreed Sept. 3, classifying modafinil as a "weaker stimulant." White's case was referred back to U.S. authorities to go through the hearing and appeal process listed below. The penalty under IAAF regulations for such offenses is a public warning and disqualification from the competition in question ? in this case, the World Championships.

Has BALCO been involved in previous U.S. doping incidents?

Several athletes with whom BALCO claimed affiliation have tested positive over the years. Conte was indirectly involved with shot putter C.J. Hunter, Marion Jones' ex-huband, who tested positive for a steroid shortly before the 2000 Olympics. Conte appeared at a press conference with Hunter and theorized that Hunter tested positive by using a supplement that had become contaminated by steroids because it had been mixed in a vat that once contained banned substances.

Conte accused of the International Olympic Committee and IAAF of withholding information that could have helped Hunter avoid a doping offense, the BBC reported.

If athletes did not intentionally break the rules, as Chambers and Hunter claim, can they be fully exonerated?

No. Athletes are held accountable for what's in their bodies regardless of how it got there.

A classic case came from the 2002 Winter Olympics, when British skier Alain Baxter lost his bronze medal after testing positive for methamphetamine. Baxter claimed the substance was in his body because he had not realized that the U.S. version of the Vicks inhaler, a common decongestant, differed from the product of the same name offered in Britain. The Court of Arbitration for Sport accepted Baxter's story, and a three-month ban was overturned. But Baxter was still asked to give up the medal.

How does the THG scandal relate to other past doping questions in U.S. track and field?

Drug testing has changed dramatically since 2000, when the independent USADA assumed responsibility for testing all U.S. Olympic athletes on Oct. 2, 2000, immediately after the Sydney Olympics. Federations such as USA Track & Field no longer test or adjudicate testing matters, though it is their responsibility to impose sanctions.

USATF had a more active role in drug testing leading up to the 2000 Olympics, and it is still under pressure for one case from 1999. In January, the Court of Arbitration for Sport settled a lingering dispute between the USATF and IAAF over confidentiality rules, deciding the USATF was correct in following its policy of not releasing names of 13 athletes who had positive drug-test results from 1996 to 2000. But that dispute blew open at the World Championships in August, when the Los Angeles Times reported that new world 400-meter champion Jerome Young was one of those athletes.

The USOC then told the IOC that Young had a positive test in 1999 but was cleared on appeal. The disclosure was part of a review of 24 cases in several sports from 1985 to 2000. The USOC claims the other 23 cases were handled properly; so far, no international bodies have disputed this claim.

Is the current action involving the USOC and USA Track and Field related to the THG scandal or the 1999 case?

The 1999 case, though Kelli White's case from the World Championships and athlete behavior issues at the 2000 Olympics and 2003 World Championships also have raised USOC concerns.

USATF says it cannot reveal information from the 1999 case, citing the Court of Arbitration for Sport ruling. The USOC disagrees, though it has not stated why the ruling would not be binding.

Also, USATF CEO Craig Masback claims that the USOC forced USATF to change its rules in the mid-90s, "putting USATF's rules in direct conflict with the International Association of Athletics Federations," according to an Oct. 17, 2003, USATF press release.

The press release goes on to state: "The very officials who created CAS and who gave it its authority ? including the IOC and World Anti-Doping Agency ? are now seeking to undermine that authority because CAS didn't give them the answer they wanted."

Amid mounting pressure from international bodies, USATF confirmed in February 2004 that Young was the athlete who was cleared on appeal in 1999. Whether the case affects future decisions from CAS or results in legal action has not yet been determined.

Wasn't Carl Lewis' name mentioned in a recent allegation?

After his discrimination lawsuit against the USOC was dismissed in April, former USOC anti-doping chief Wade Exum released documents claiming that many athletes in several sports, including Lewis, had positive tests but were allowed to compete. The IAAF issued a statement backing U.S. authorities on eight cases from 1988, again including Lewis, saying the findings were properly handled under the rules of the time.

The cases all predated the current system in which USADA handles drug testing.

Compiled by Beau Dure, USATODAY.com

Sources: Staff and wire reports, USADA (http://www.usantidoping.org), IAAF (http://www.iaaf.org), USA Track and Field (http://www.usatf.org), USOC

Speculating : The biggest drug scandal in history

Providing a background to all the pointing fingers and the whole 'speculated' cover-up since the 1988 Ben Johnson bust ..

Ben Johnson

We will start in 1988 when Ben Johnson was caught and the whole world felt vindicated that the Mike Tyson of Track was bust.

Hooray .. something had been achieved ..

And the man showed no remorse saying that everyone else was doing it ...

Rumours were abound regarding the big coverup that was taking place amongst the officials of the sport. The rumour being that they were too afraid to uncover the truth regarding the extent of drugs in sport because it would affect them through loss of sponsorship.

They would lose their many perks.

Johnson was thought to be expendable, as he wasn't considered good for the sport. He was aggressive and did not fit the role of the image officials considered 'good'.

Here are some home truths ...

Linford Christie was caught and let off ... people said that he portrayed an image which was good for the sport and its sponsors ..

There is no hiding the fact that he was bust ... Very similarly to Jeffrey Archer he won a court case against a journalist who accused him of drug abuse ..

Take a look at what Christie looked like when he first came onto the scene ..

Any comments on this before we move on ... Christie was again bust for drug use however he had gone into retirement and decided not to challenge the 2 year ban.

During the Sydney 2000 Olympics he was not allowed anywhere near the athletic facilities in that country ...

What do the Brits do ... they make him team Manager of an Athletic Team ..

Carl Lewis

In 1988 after Ben Johnson declared that they were all doing it, the people blacklisted Johnson and tried to push him into the background. Out of sight out of mind.

This year 2003, it was disclosed that Carl Lewis tested positive for a substance in 1988 but it was not deemed serious enough to pursue. So they say. The only thing in Lewis' favour is that he is not muscled like the rest of the gorillas.

Also in the document regarding 1988, it is mentioned that 8 members of the US team had tested positive however it was covered up by their organisation.

Such was the lack of trust that WADA was established .. an independent organisation which aimed to do the World's drug testing - World Anti Doping Agency

Dennis Mitchell another athlete in the 1988 Olympic Final was subsequently caught and banned from the sport.

We now move towards the build-up to the 2000 Olympics, the first year of Linford Christie's retirement and the year he was caught while being tested for an indoor meeting.

He was supposedly in retirement and it seemed to be just rewards even if at the time he was 'maybe' innocent.

The 2000 Olympic Buildup

The year 2000 found the Kansas Cannonball, Maurice Greene, exploding in all the stadiums around the world.

His training partner Ato Boldin was close to the great man himself. Greene had captured the World Record and was the outright favourite to take the 100m title.

An expose was done on the HSI Training Group which had the world's top sprinters in its ranks.

During the expose they interviewed Greene about the supplements he was taking and he answered weakly that he wouldn't discuss it because he was not receiving money for promoting them. Then Greene's lawyer/manager appeared and put an end to the interview.

We now move forward . keep in mind this expose.

Now towards the 2003 World Championships in Paris and the rumours begin to float around that things are in the pipeline for big busts ..

2003 World Championships

At the 2003 World Championships in Paris bizarre events began to take place, athletes favoured for winning medals tripped over hurdles, some failed to make the finals and those who did make the final failed to medal.

Maurice Greene was now a shadow of his former self... The new WR holder over 100m Tim Montgomery was not firing on all cylinders ... and in the end the slowest time ever was recorded for a World Championship 100m final.

And the winner had been caught for a banned substance a year before when winning the Commonwealth Games title, but was let off for the substance came from his asthma pump which he had not disclosed. The bitter taste is only slight and Kim Collins is not the biggest built sprinter around.

In the 100m final 2nd goes to the new Junior WR holder and 3rd unexpectantly to Darren Campbell .. The great favourite Dwain Chambers finishes 4th .. causing retired 200 and 400m WR holder, Michael Johnson to comment that Chambers has bulked up too much for his own good. Chambers had switched coaches from longtime coach Mike Macfarlane to Remi Korchemny, who was based in the USA.

Kelli White the Amercian sprint sensation, who has had her own life of setbacks after being slashed across the face while waiting for a train some years before, astounds the world with her brilliance in winning both the 100 and 200m titles at the Paris Games..

Sadly, a stimulant called modafinil is detected in her urine sample and everyone begins to whisper ..

Modafinil is used to combat narcolepsy and she states her doctor prescribed it because she comes from a family of narcolepsy sufferers. Why was this not disclosed previously ..

Well, because modafinil is not on the banned substance list ..

Great ..

Lets move on ...

NO .. we can't, we now hear more news regarding the USATFA - USA Track and Field Association which governs the US' sport ..

What's that

More on the rumours of the Paris World Champs

well ... we have now got as far as a very interesting World Champs, the winner of the 100m men, is under a cloud for previous encounters of the substance kind and the winner of the Women's 100 and 200m is suffering from narcolepsy.

For good measure, the Sydney Olympic Champion over 200m is missing and had been accused of running away from the drug testers when they arrived at their training base unannounced. He fails to attend the games and his female compatriot is a shadow of her powerful self. pure speculation obviously.

Moving on we have a great winner of the Men's 400m.

Then the further murmurings occur, that up to 19 US athletes were tested positive before Sydney 2000 and were allowed to compete. The one big name that did get shot out was CJ Hunter, the then husband of Marion Jones. Jones divorces the man and tries to put as much distance between her and the mention of drugs.

She is a truly remarkable athlete and can't come close to breaking the amazing 10.49 established by Flo Jo, who died very suddenly from heart failure, which was viewed by many as the after effects of drug use. Oh ... did we mention her season of great performances was 1988 ..

So .. then whose name is on this list ...

Oh no ... Jerome Young ... He was let off, he has just won the 400m title and if he had been serving his sentence he would still be suspended from competition. Oh well ...

As part of Dick Pound's [Pound is head of WADA] ambition to clean up the sport he needs further help from the US, however such things are not forthcoming ... The USATFA seems to be a law unto itself...

The games are abuzz with certain murmurings that there is a major investigation to follow ...

As for White ... Well ...

Narcolepsy is a serious medical disorder and a key to understanding other sleep disorders.

YAWN is happy Then it happens a 2nd American is tested for modafinil. Surely YAWN will be happy to have two athletes of such a high status to represent them YAWN stands for Young Americans with Narcolepsy [ and is mentioned purely for humour ]

This makes the people at the top more interested in the substance Modafinil.

Also doing the rumours before the Games was that the IAAF had struck a deal with the French authorities not to raid any of the athletes' hotel rooms during the games .. Speculation again, but enough noise ..

No matter what the IAAF do, they cannot stop WADA as they do not fall under their jurisdiction ... and USATFA can also do nothing about USADA the American equivalent to WADA ..

So .. the rumours that had athletes scurrying around on tip toes has not hit the fan yet, but there are discussions in places that something is sure to happen soon.

Then it happens ... 3 days after the close of the Games BALCO is raided on Sept 3rd, by agents of the Internal Revenue Service, the Food and Drug Administration, the San Mateo County Narcotics Task Force and Olympic drug-testing officials.

This is a well orchestrated bust and it has all the rights to go through everything. All money that has changed hands and the list of clients ...

BUT .. then it is announced it could be due to TAX EVASION ... Aaaah ... the athletes breath again.

A year back

Now let us take a step back to a year ago ... a certain athlete in America had been under a cloud of suspicion, due to her lack of success at the Olympics and the World Championships. It is speculated that she doesn't attend meetings where stringent drug testing is the order of the day. She is a middle distance runner and is seen as the most successful American middle and distance runner since Mary Decker Slaney, Mary the one of the Zola Budd trip fame.

And incidently, Slaney tested positive for a drug when over the age of 40 while participating in an indoor championship ... she was banned for two years but still some American institutions feel it right to have her listed on their Hall of Fame ..

There are rumours abound that certain events in America will forego drug testing, so that they can have athletes break world records and that they can then promote themselves to get better sponsorship ..

This athlete in question sets a World Indoor Record and is happy to take a drug test ... so that will put a rest to all the speculation about her. She took the test, you have to if you want the WR to be ratified ..

Sorry the detractors say ... our suspicions are misplaced ... and to crown it all she will be attending the Paris games ...

Strangely though, her performances fall off on the day of the final and she fades over the last 100m where her customary sprint finish would have her in a medal position ..

She was there ... she was tested ... she set a world record ..

get over it move on ..

What happens next - BALCO

So who are BALCO .. Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative

BALCO performs blood-testing services for top athletes - analyzing levels of trace minerals and providing supplements to correct any deficiencies. They also sell a legal product called ZMA ... which helps with the minerals Zinc and Magnesium ... speculators say this could also be a cover so that athletes can say they go to the man for nutritional assistance .. Oh .. should we mention Christie used these products

The President is Victor Conte whose list of clients include such star athletes Barry Bonds, Oakland Raider linebacker Bill Romanowski and Olympic sprint champion Marion Jones. Conte is also accused as the source of this drug which will be discussed shortly.

Oh did we mention, there is a rumoured relationship between Maurice Greene's training group and this company in the past. Is this the company that was supplying them the Nutritional Supplements which led to the World Record season [???]

Ok ... so we now have the company at the heart of the case .. however we are not finished ... let's start piecing things together ..

In the summer, June to be more accurate, a parcel turned up on the desk of Dr Don Catlin at his laboratory at the University of California in Los Angeles. The parcel contained a syringe and inside was a substance that was 'the new designer drug' that could not be picked up via the tests available ..

If this drug is not detectable then athletes could have their tests and they would not have a problem, as in the case of the athlete who set the WR Indoors before June ..

The syringe has been sent to him and it had been given to an official of USADA by a coach [the coach is meant to be from an established group - more on this later] who said he wanted to come clean. It was mentioned that they had information on a new strain of designer anabolic steroid which was so powerful that athletes only had to inject themselves with a couple of drops under their tongue and it could help make them run faster, throw further, jump higher.

The drug has been identified as THG (tetrahydrogestrinone). And they now have a test to track the substance.

Now take note, this drug is not ingested in the same manner of other supplements ... and then see how all those who get tested positive think they can pull the wool over the eyes of the public by stating ... I didn't know what I was taking ... tut tut ...

So there we are ........ the first athlete to be announced as testing positive is this year's winner of the American Shot Put title, Kevin Toth ... who has stated he has know idea how the substance got into his system ...

The 2nd athlete to be tested positive was Dwain Chambers ...

Chambers and his coach - Remi Korchemny

Chambers' coach as mentioned is Remi Korchemny .. Since going to this American based coach he has become far more bulky and thus reasons those in the sport will point a finger. A finger of suspicion that has now been confirmed by the positive test. Chamber' says he didn't know he had ingested the substance .. No idea how it got into his system ..

Try .. you injected it under your tongue mate .. unless there are other ways to take it ... none have been presented as yet ..

Now did we mention that Remi Korchemny is also coach to Kelli White

Now come on ... wait a minute ... what you saying she was tested for Modafinil ...

Yes ... but she is also a client of Balco ..

Tests on the American athletes have found 6 or 7 instances of traces of Modafinil .. OK .. let's move on ..

Regina Jacobs the 40 year old athlete with the build of juiced up 20 year old has been tested positive as well ... The 3rd athlete to be announced ..

The athlete who set the new WR Indoors has come face to face with reality ...

USADA ... are now testing all samples taken of the US team at the National Championships before there was knowledge that there was a test available ..

USATFA

All of a sardine, USATFA are coming across as the strictest set-up in the world and are shouting the odds that they will do everything in their power to clean up the sport ... Yes Yes Baldrick, a cunning plan

Now, if this was the case in 1988 when Ben Johnson and his coach Charlie Francis stated that everyone else was doing it we wouldn't have half of the problem we have worldwide ...

In distance running, we have a man who is being accused of juicing the Kenyans and it is time that all the dirt is cleared out of the sport ...

In cycling the name that keeps cropping up is Michelle Ferrari and Lance Armstrong's name keeps popping up in association with him ..

The saga continues

As a matter of interest ... did I mention that the name being bandied around as the coach who spilled the beans is being speculated as the coach of which group ...

Oh you guessed it, HSI

Source Time-to-Run contributor

Excellent posts PB.Speculate, why would HSI turn over the sample and syringe.It seems as you post that they have a lot to lose.Did USDA and IRS strongarm them?(Although I have heard rumors about their athletes for years.)

Crazy , also how Jolanda Ceplak can't run the 800 at the WC's because of a cut foot on a glass shampoo bottle.Do they even make glass shampoo bottles anymore?I thought they went out with non-baby proof medicine bottlecaps.But , as you say athletes crashing into hurdles losing their once furious kicks with 75 meters to go;when you put it into that perspective, it was a ver strange WC.And as for Ceplak, whom i like,she than runs the 1500 and does not even come close to medalling.

PeakBggr,

You say on RJ:

I'd venture to guess that personally, she realizes she made a huge mistake, even if she was manipulated and victimized by unscrupulous coaches, trainers, agents, etc

But the T&F community will likely regard her entire career with illegitimacy to her grave. And that, to me, is punishment enough.

It's a tragedy for sure, but one that the entire T&F community, especially the young up-and-comers can hopefully learn from. We must keep in mind that many of these drug scandals are not black and white. Athletes will always seek an edge and probe the boundaries of the ethical and legal.

Lifetime ban and stripped of all records and fined heavily is the least a runner should get. The crew of coaches, trainers, agents should also be banned and fined.

Drugs are not only what it does to the athletes' bodies, it's about what ripple effect it has on everyone and everything else.

A 2 year ban is well worth the chance. The chances of testing +'ve are slight at best, the financial rewards are huge.

I'm sure many athletes get manipulated into drugs that's exactly why "they" the whole crew should get punished also within the system. The athletes' crews have a financial incentive and reputation to see the runners are at their best.

For a young sprinter post Olympic year, I'd be willing to bet that's where "they" most likely manipulate the athletes. Why? 2 year ban only. The Olympics are still a reality. By the time they are well within the system and feel the improvements and the slight chance of getting tested +'ve- what is the likelyhood they will stop? No chance. It is the same for older stars. Here even the lifetime ban will not have an influence, only the stripping of records and a huge fine will have an effect. If you are correct that RJ's only started using drugs in the last few years, which is plausible, I am sure many other athletes can be talked into it also. This is their career, there is nothing sadder than a falling star trying to latch on to the past. They will do anything to stay into the sport and at the top of their game. Financially it is to their advantage also. If they get fined, they will think twice. If the crew gets fined/ banned, they will think twice.

The reality of the situation is that if you are in a system similar to the former eastern Euro. countries, you can see that athletes did not even have a choice in the system.

If you are into a sport known for drugs like weightlifting or sprint running, it is easy for the crew to say everyone is doing it. It makes it a lot more difficult for the athlete to say no.

RJ at some point had to make a +'ve/ -'ve analysis of the situation and she chose the benefits outweight the risks and she is correct. Had there been major fines and a loss of her records that might of been a different choice. Her "crew" would also not of pushed her, if so.

The young runners will only learn from this that she was unlucky to get caught as she did not learn from her predecessors. She probably has a nice home, nice car, nice records, she was a hero for x-years, she doesn't care what people think of her now- she thought of that before she made her decision.

So, that she realizes she made a big mistake, NO she took that calculated risk a long time ago and gained from it. That T&F will sees her in a negative light and that's punishement enough, NO she also thought about that and has gained from it. The up-and-comers will only learn that she got more out of T&F than she deserves. She doesn't have any disregard for how many people she has hurt in the process. S-F-H?, try many, many more. $$$, results, qualifying for teams that give hope and momentum, sponsors to the sport (which affects up-and-comers), the doubt that is present when anyone gets a decent result. She ruins the sport for athletes and fans and she knew that, she's gained even now.

Specific athletes named in Time-To-Run piece:

Ben Johnson

Linford Christie

Carl Lewis

Dennis Mitchell

Maurice Green

Ato Boldin

(A number of unnamed athletes at the 2003 World Championships in Paris where bizarre events began to take place, athletes favoured for winning medals tripped over hurdles, some failed to make the finals and those who did make the final failed to medal)

Tim Montgomery

Kim Collins

Dwain Chambers

Kelli White

CJ Hunter

Marion Jones

Flo Jo

Jerome Young

Mary Decker Slaney

Kevin Toth

Regina

also Kenyans and Greeks implicated, and Lance Armstrong via Ferrari.

and skimming the Balco indictment, *31 Page PDF File of Actual Indictment That Talks of EPO, HGH, THG, Baseball, Football Players and Track Athletes,

shows HGH to mentioned dozens of time. There's still no test for HGH and it's widely available.

Let me modify my previous comments on identifying and punishing the guilty parties. It's clear from the consensus of LetsRun posters that the T&F community will not sit idly by while the regulatory agencies slap a few token hands and mete out a few 2 yr bans. There's a lot more at stake for the offenders than medals and records. Besides all the public scorn and humiliation, there's a ton of prize money, appearance fees, endorsements, etc. The euros are talking fines and jail sentences for pro cyclists and their handlers. The stakes are growing by the day.

One obstacle, however, was pointed out this AM on ESPN's "The Sports Reporters", where one reporter opined that pro football and baseball fans don't really care. They like the 350 gladiators on the football field. They like the tape measure home runs and the 70+ HR seasons of Bonds, Sosa, McGuire, etc. And they pay (indirectly) huge sums to these athletes to accomplish super human feats. These are more main stream sports than T&F and fans' indifference will hamper more stringent efforts to make T&F athletes toe the line. In this respect, it appears Europe is ahead of the US, and especially USATF. The fact that the US Justice Dept is involved is promising but public pressure will have to play a huge role if we are to tame this beast.

Ben Johnson has gained handsomely and that's the message, personal gain VS the sports' demise.

Why did you take drugs Ben? You cannot win without drugs, everybody takes drugs. 2 year ban. Ben is back, after going to the schools to talk to kids in his Ferrari or Porsh about not taking drugs.

I'm making a comeback and I'm going to win again. Well... Ben you took drugs b/c you couldn't win without, but you are making a comeback and are going to win without. I'm I the only one that got that?

The whole crew in Toronto was to blame here above the athletes. Marion Jones/ Tim going to that same coach, away from the US. If I was the sponsor I would of pulled the plug also on that. And that whole crew in Toronto has definately hurt many, many athletes and have absolutely no remorse. They are all still on the scene in some respect and they still get the TV interviews. Oh... in those days everyone did it. They individually gain the sport loses, they know that, they don't care.

Ben Johnson of course after going to all those schools, strictly publicity, he gets tested +'ve again.

PS: As one of the funniest things I've read on Ben J. He was in Italy, making $$$ off his career and got robbed of his money belt by a young kid. He chased the kid down, but the kids doing this know what they are doing and have the path set out.

Seriously, of all the people on this planet not to rob and run away, wouldn't Ben J be at least on your top 10 list of don't steal? He lost $800, his former agent is quoted in the papers the next morning. What I want to know is what is he doing in Italy earning $$$ and what's he doing with $800 in his money belt, he owes me money still.

This is the antipathy of the mainstream sports media to which I alluded:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2004/writers/tim_layden/02/13/balco.indictments/index.html

Hanging from the BALCO-ny

Drug sting puts superstars' reputations at risk, but who really cares?

Posted: Friday February 13, 2004 3:10PM; Updated: Friday February 13, 2004 3:30PM

On Thursday in Washington, indictments were handed down against four men charged with the distribution of steroids and other performance-enhancing substances, possibly to some of the most prominent athletes in the world. Among those indicted were Barry Bonds' personal trainer, as well as the track sprint coach who oversaw some of the most dramatic improvements in his sport over the past two years and 53-year-old Victor Conte, the man who founded BALCO, the company that allegedly provided the drugs.

The announcement leads to an important question: Does anybody care?

Let's review what is at stake in these indictments. If Conte and Greg Anderson, Bonds' personal trainer (who also worked with Jason Giambi, among others), provided steroids, such as the newly discovered THG, to Bonds, then Bonds' single-season home run record of 73, established in 2001, is certifiably a sham and the modern longball era a product of better baseball through chemistry.

If Remi Korchemny, 71, a track coach born in the Ukraine who once trained 1972 Olympic champion Valery Borzov, and who has recently become responsible for stunning improvements made by American women Kelli White and Chryste Gaines and Briton Dwain Chambers, was feeding steroids to his sprinters, the curtain has been thrown back on the long-suspect world of elite level sprinting.

If four members of the Oakland Raiders who tested positive for THG last fall, including robo-linebacker Bill Romanowski, were given their drugs by BALCO, the Sunday ritual of the NFL, with it's cartoon violence and religious fan fervor, is little more than a lab experiment gone wild.

The question again: Does anybody care?

In most major news outlets, word of the BALCO indictments was given prominent coverage but hardly the screaming headlines customarily associated with sweeping scandal and conspiracy. The NBA All-Star game will be played Sunday. The NASCAR season is getting under way. Pitchers and catchers will soon report to Spring Training. March Madness is scarcely a month away. The cycle spins on. There is little time for a doping controversy.

Six years ago, when Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa engaged in their home run battle across America during the long summer, there were whispers that McGwire was using performance-enhancing substances. The rumors were given life when a bottle of androstenedione was spotted by a reporter in McGwire's locker. Andro since has been banned. But it didn't matter to a public swept up in the drama.

Steroids don't make people hit a baseball any better, or so went the rationalization. Steroids are for bodybuilders and shotputters, not hitters. In fact, steroids allow people to train harder than ever, to get stronger while avoiding injuries. Steroids can make a good hitter great. Is this what happened with McGwire and Bonds? Do baseball fans really want to know, or do they just want to see if the Red Sox can make it to the World Series?

Sprinters Marion Jones and her boyfriend, Tim Montgomery (world record holder in the 100 meters) testified in the BALCO inquiry. So did boxer Shane Mosley. They were BALCO clients, in some form. Does this taint their performances? Or are Olympic track and field and professional boxing simply too far beneath the radar screen for the public to notice?

The reality is that Thursday's indictments are a test of the sports fan's conscience. There always have been rumors about the use of performance-enhancers. McGwire. Bonds. Lance Armstrong. Most of the NFL. Distance runners who shattered world records by huge margins in the mid- and late-'90s. But those were just rumors, with an occasional positive test that usually was litigated into submission.

The BALCO case is real. Attorney general John Ashcroft has indicated there will be more indictments and that athletes could be among those charged. Will the public be outraged to hear that Sunday's heroes (or Saturday's, or Thursday's) have achieved their greatness not just through good genetics and hard work, but also from test tubes? Or will the public shrug off such news? As in: What's the difference between THG and Vitamin C? What is the difference between the juice in a slugger's biceps and the silicone in a starlet's bosom? Both are entertainers. Gimme the remote and pass the nachos.

We live in a cynical and permissive world. I believe the sports-supporting public, in large part, would like to hear nothing of the reality of drug use. It is more enjoyable to watch without knowing. Controversy is for the real world, not sports. I believe the BALCO case will drag down the principles and perhaps a few athletes. I fear that once the dust settles, business as usual will resume, with new stars, new medicine men and new drugs.

I fear that nobody really cares.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Tim Layden weighs in with a Viewpoint every Friday on SI.com.

in NCAAs, jacobs best finish in the 1500 was 6th, best 800, 4th. her pr of 4:11 was lowered in 1986 to 4:02.6.

she has been using drugs since 1986 and has never been under

4:10 clean. to avoid testing positive, she cycled down before the '88/'92 games and ran 4:18/4:21.

do not give her the benefit of the doubt by stating she recently added drugs to her regime. she has calculating cheated since 1986.

The Misanthrope wrote:

Crazy , also how Jolanda Ceplak can't run the 800 at the WC's because of a cut foot on a glass shampoo bottle.

If your going to speculate please make it accurate. That was Stephanie Graf.

Whoa! Long night. Thanks for catching that . You're absolutely right.

Richard Neer wrote:

The Misanthrope wrote:

Crazy , also how Jolanda Ceplak can't run the 800 at the WC's because of a cut foot on a glass shampoo bottle.

If your going to speculate please make it accurate. That was Stephanie Graf.

I have to say that I think that this post brings up some really good points. And that is that we all need to rember that people make mestakes. And just haveing make one, once should not creat a situation where one's name is drug though the mudd. People are going to do things, that are shady sometimes. But that should not be heald agenst them for all time. And a little understanding should be given

Just for accuracy's sake I think it's been demonstrated that Korchemny presided over a decline in Chambers' performance not a 'stunning improvement'!

Enter National Sportsmanship Day essay contest

The 14th National Sportsmanship Day "Dare To Play Fair" program, founded by the Institute for International Sport at the University of Rhode Island, will be celebrated March 2.

As part of the celebration, students from elementary schools, middle schools, high schools and colleges are invited to write essays of 500 words or less that address any aspect of ethics and sportsmanship in society or share a personal reflection of exemplary or poor sportsmanship they have seen or experienced.

USA TODAY will report on the winning essays as part of National Sportsmanship Day. Deadline for receiving essays is Feb. 21.

Essays may be sent to:

USA TODAY Essay Contest

Institute for International Sport

University of Rhode Island

P.O. Box 1710

Kingstown, RI 02881-1710

Essays also may be faxed to 401-874-2429 or e-mailed to

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For more information on National Sportsmanship Day and the essay contest, go to

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The winning essays can be read in their entirety at

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