Ideas for improving drug testing...

[Hunter]

Along with the current program, a couple ideas to "clean up" the sport

1) Every athlete ranked in the top 100 in their event must notify the IAAF when they receive prescription drugs. This way it is on record and we can avoid another Kelli White fiasco.

2) Every athlete that finishes in the top 10 in their event at the Worlds/Olympics/World Cup will have to give a hair sample for a drug test. These tests can detect the presence of drugs used up to a year before the competition.

Just some thoughts,
Hunter

[Guest]

Re: Ideas for improving drug testing...

Good intentions, but a few problems with your proposals.

>Along with the current program, a couple ideas to
>"clean up" the sport

1) Every athlete
>ranked in the top 100 in their event must notify
>the IAAF when they receive prescription drugs.
>This way it is on record and we can avoid
>another Kelli White fiasco.

Aside from the intricacies of determining who is in the top 100 (seasonal performances to date? last year's performances? rankings base on points?), you are going to have to set up a big new bureaucracy to deal with this (and it would likely be WADA, not the IAAF who is the relevant body). Assuming you do it just for track and field, you are looking at the personnel to keep files for 100 athletes x 19 or so events x 2 sexes. What about privacy concerns for athletes taking prescription medication for personal ailments that have absolutely no performance enhancement potential?

2) Every athlete
>that finishes in the top 10 in their event at
>the Worlds/Olympics/World Cup will have to give
>a hair sample for a drug test. These tests can
>detect the presence of drugs used up to a year
>before the competition.

I'm not sure about the cost of tests on hair samples, but the EPO urine test costs several hundred US dollars a pop. WADA would need more of the committed countries to pony up their expected funding to proceed with this. Then what about all those athletes who have little or no hair on their heads? Maybe they shave elsewhere as well?

Personally, I like the blood sampling for medalists and then some number of random samplings from the rest of the field in conjunction with out of competition surprise testing.

[Hunter]

Re: Ideas for improving drug testing...

I agree my proposals have some holes in them but my objectives were to ensure that athletes not get themselves into a mess regarding the medications they take and to attempt to ensure that the top 10 placers in a major championship are drug free.
Any suggestions??

[Guest]

Re: Ideas for improving drug testing...

>I agree my proposals have some holes in them but
>my objectives were to ensure that athletes not
>get themselves into a mess regarding the
>medications they take and to attempt to ensure
>that the top 10 placers in a major championship
>are drug free.
Any suggestions??

As I stated above "Personally, I like the blood sampling for medalists and then some number of random samplings from the rest of the field in conjunction with out of competition surprise testing."

Keep in mind that the athletes we are dealing with are on the whole, adults who are reasonably intelligent and educated. There is only so much top-down hand holding by nameless bureaucrats that should be done to help them along. At some point the athletes are going to have to take responsibility for their own actions (or lack thereof in filling out forms) and what substances they take into their bodies (my supplements must have been contaminated!).