Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

[Guest]

You guys don't really think we have a clean sport? You guys didn't really think that a guy who never won an outdoor NCAA Championship and had his but handed to him by Goucher in Cross suddenly became the 2nd fastest 1500 runner EVER and won bronze in the OG because of hard work... did you? I've been saying it for years and I will continue to say it until EVERYONE understands. Out of the top 20, in ANY given event, in ANY given year, there are no more than 3-5 clean guys. As far as all time lists... there was blood doping before EPO and there is new stuff since EPO. Pretty much everyone, from BK to El G, to Ngeny, to HG, are or were at some time using something at some time.

BTW... This is Athletics, not some kind of Supreme Court... where innocent til proven guilty abounds. In athletics, its ALWAYS guilty until proven innocent... that's why there is testing.

So some of you may get mad at me for accusing, but go look at the top 10 5k list. See how many have already been caught. Then think about how many avoid out of comp testing. Then think about how damn stupid you have to be to get caught. Then think about how dumb you are to have the opinion... innocent til proven guilty.

Bauman, Mourhit, Komen, Boulami, Lagat, etc etc etc... All WR holders and Olympic medalists since the 90s. All caught.

Back to watcing just high school level track and field... and here's to hoping that stays uncorrupted.

Sorry for the reality check.

Michael

[6 5.5hjsteve]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

amen brother.

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

BTW,

For those that don't like complaining without a solution... here is one.

Monthly random tests, paid by the athletes federation but administered from an independent source, for ANYONE who runs on the Gand Prix circuit, OG, Pan Ams, WCs, etc. THEY CAN NOT PERFORM IN ANY OF THESE EVENTS IF THEY MISS EVEN ONE MONTHLY RANDOM TEST.

So basically, a federation has to play its chances and perhaps test the top 10-20, randomly, from the previous year. And unfortunately, anyone who breaks onto a team but was not in the top 10-20 the year before doesn't get to run til the next year after a year's worth of random testing.

ALSO... We're talking blood tests here where you freeze the blood and continue to test LOOOOONG after the comps. Anyone who is found to EVER do anything gets ALL their marks... EVER... removed.

End of story.

M

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

Sadly, I am grudgingly coming to the same conclusion CONTO states above. Fortunately, I have never been overly impressed with times - I love the competition - so if they ever get it cleaned up the fast drugged-up times won't bother me.

Again - I keep repeating it - once busted you are GONE for at least 6 years - no exceptions. No grey areas (i.e. White), no bullshit stories about skin conditioner, no nothing. Rather than following the world, the U.S. should lead the way and increase penalties.

The rules aren't complex.

Even Ohio State had the balls to tell Carrett to stick it - in the ultra-competitive college football arena.

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

By the way - here in the great state of Ohio almost all Buckeye fans are OK with the Clarrett decision. The Ohio State University is essentially saying that the honor and integrity of the University and it's 300,000 plus alumni will not be destroyed by one man. T&F could learn from this.

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

>By the way - here in the great state of Ohio
>almost all Buckeye fans are OK with the Clarrett
>decision. The Ohio State University is
>essentially saying that the honor and integrity
>of the University and it's 300,000 plus alumni
>will not be destroyed by one man. T&F could
>learn from this.

Not to get off topic, but Tressel was hired specifically to restore whatever "honor and integrity" OSU may once have had. At least they're sticking to their story for a third consecutive year.

USA Triathlon requires at least a one-day liscense to compete in any event they sanction (much like you once needed an AAU membership). In order to compete for money, you must apply for and recieve an elite liscense. The IAAF could easily do a similar thing; you need a pro permit to compete in GP events and to compete for money at indoor/outdoor/cross world championships. The pro permit could require a minimum number of random tests; miss the tests, lose your permit. Very simple and not very messy; they could even pass the paperwork on to national federations and the testing to WADA.

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

Squire,

That's pretty much what I was thinking. The key will be to freeze the blood for future testing and to do a random one EVERY month.

M

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

While there are already random tests in the United States once you are ranked high enough, they don't yet occur as often as you are talking about. What I find to be a bigger problem though is that people know how to pass them. People know how to have certain things go undetected and so the far bigger problem is the cheaters being steps ahead of the testers.

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

And that is a problem of funding. The number of people developing new tests is very low, which makes it hard for them to keep up with the cheats. More money would even the playing field, but as I've said before that might require international officials to give up a comfort or two in search of a plebian ideal of "honesty".

[Guest]

Re: Come on people... Lagat, Boulami, Mourhit, etc...

I, like many track fans, think that big improvements after college are possible, and dislike drug insinuations made towards athletes who show these improvements, I have to agree with conto on this one. The prospect of these improvements is part of what makes the sport so thrilling. When it is found that athletes are drugging for better performance, it places suspicion in the mind of everyone and destroys a huge portion of the appeal of the athletes and the sport. Track and Field governing bodies need to protect this aspect of the sport like it is gold in Fort Knox. More aggressive and thorough drug tests are need with longer follow-up and serious repercussions. Without it the validity of tthe sport is lost and the fans won't be far behind.