Drugs in sport..

[Super_horns]

It will probably come as no surprise to lot of people that athletics appear to have a massive drugs problem - even its own experts admit so.

What other sports do you think have such issues but aren't highlighted as much?

Athletics is facing a new crisis after fresh allegations of suspected doping emerged following a leak of test data.

The Sunday Times and German broadcaster ARD/WRD have obtained access to the results of 12,000 blood tests from 5,000 athletes.

According to the newspaper, the evidence - which has been seen by the BBC - reveals the "extraordinary extent of cheating" by athletes at the world's biggest events.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/athletics/33749208

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

 

[IanH]

There's almost no way elite footballers aren't drugged up to their eyeballs. I'm very unclued-up upon such matters, but the seemingly blasé nature of drug testing in football, and with convictions very rare (2001 spate of positive testings for nondrolone aside - De Boer, Stam, Davids, Kluivert and Guardiola included), it seems incredible that they wouldn't all be systematically doping.

Carel - I obviously touched on the Guardiola link above (though it's obvious you're refering more to his teams performances as a coach.) Also, the training benefits in off-season are obviously huge for tennis players and boxers (and I don't know anything about basketball, but seemingly similar). I'm interested in, though in no way dubious of, the quantifiable benefit of drugs for a golfer. Concentration, strength, erection duration?

 

[Veggie Legs]

Those are some pretty damning claims about athletics, although I can't say I'm really surprised.

I don't know much about drug testing regimes in general - are they significantly different between sports?

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

All photos should be interpreted as merely symbolic, avatars of their sports, and in no way constituting a specific, personal insinuation or accusation.......

Regarding golf (and other 'skill based' sports...)... sometimes doping has a direct application from physical capability to performance, ie increasing red blood cell count for endurance orientated cycling or running events, strength gains in weightlifting or throwing events, or (compartmentally) extra yardage off the tee, an extra few mph on your fastball, etc. But sometimes it's a secondary effect. Being fitter, faster, stronger, etc might not directly improve your left foot or backhand, but being better conditioned is obviously an advantange over an opponent unable to sustain a similar intensity. And then there's the issue of recovery. Any physically taxing activity is essentially an act of inflicting damage to your body, from which you must then recover. The person who can recover more quickly can practice longer, harder and more often. And that's the essence of a sport such as golf - hardwiring muscle memory and neural pathways. So eating monkey glands might not make your 9 iron any better per se, but it definitely better equips you to make it better.

On testing regimes, yes - they differ. Between sports and between nations, in volume, in timing (ie. in vs out of competition) and in what's being screening for. Here's # of biopassport tests for Summer Olympic Federation member sports in 2014, for eg:

So suffice to say that some sports are looking harder than others. To the degree that Seb Coe is totally Captain Renault that the sport he's been paid a fortune to steward since 2007 is neck deep in shit. But then who can blame him, when titles, progress up the greasy pole and attendant million squid paypackets contingent on sponsor revenue are at stake? Or who could blame Chris Kermode for looking at the annual farrago that the Tour de France has become, and deciding that Wimbledon doesn't really want to find out what's in their Pandora's box...?

 

[TimeyWimey]

All photos should be interpreted as merely symbolic, avatars of their sports, and in no way constituting a specific, personal insinuation or accusation.......

Apart from Rafa Nadal who is a blatant cheat. Aye.

I would say pretty much any sport that would benefit from doping is full of it.

I've always thought most sports will get "their own Lance Armstrong" over the next decade or so. Looks like athletics could be about to get theirs.

 

[Martino Knockavelli]

They have already. Ben Johnson, Marion Jones, Carl Lewis....

 

[Super_horns]

They have already. Ben Johnson, Marion Jones, Carl Lewis....

Most of East Germany - or was that just swimming

Trouble is are the cheats still get ahead of the testers....

All people do is come out and say "its not me" and not many names are given as such.

 

[TimeyWimey]

Athletics.

 

[anonymous1605point1]

I am surprised wrestling is so low we all know about those addicted to painkillers Jeff Hardy Davey boy smith eddie guereiro,and thosee who take performance enhancing drugs Brock lesner and thosd who have dabbled in illeagal substences Jeff hardy (again) chris beniot could you do a table of those who have been caught by nuber in each sport

 

[The_Boss]

I am surprised wrestling is so low we all know about those addicted to painkillers Jeff Hardy Davey boy smith eddie guereiro,and thosee who take performance enhancing drugs Brock lesner and thosd who have dabbled in illeagal substences Jeff hardy (again) chris beniot could you do a table of those who have been caught by nuber in each sport

This is about drugs in SPORT not soap operas.

 

[Red]

I don't see what the problem is. I'd like to see an athlete be able to run 100m in 5 seconds, or a long jumper do a 15metre jump.