People in favor of the WCAP program obviously have nothing at stake. I am a marathon runner trying to run a time that would get me a full sponsorship (partial currently), and make a world team.
Does anyone here realize that this citizenship cheating effects all American elite and sub elites? If we go to a US championship road race, these guys take all of the prize money. I finished just outside the top 10 at one recently and if no WCAP people were there, I would have finished top 10, I would have gotten prize money and travel reimbursement. Instead, I went home empty handed.
For those who say, "Who cares? THEY'RE WINNING US MEDALS!!" I ask, what the hell is wrong with you? Look at the last USATF Outdoor 10k championships. The 8x national champion didn't even make the team. It's artificial. It infuriates me because I missed my spot to run at the USATF championships because it was taken by WCAP athletes.
Can we all just put on our thinking caps here and realize this goes much deeper than medals at the world stage?