Jerome Young situation

[Slowrunner]

I continually see reports in the newspaper & on the internet that the US may have to forfeit its 4x400 meter relay gold medal from Sydney due to a 1999 positive test by Young.

This could open up a huge can or worms. Could Ben Johnson now have to forfeit his 1984 bronzes & the relay bronze for his teammates & give medals to Ron Brown & the Italian relay team?

Should the IOC demand answers from Germany for the state sponsored drug programs of the 1970's & 80's and change medals in dozens of sports. If certain countries had tested athletes prior to the games, or anytime during the year, to determine what their steroid levels were. If those documents exist, then should not previous wrongs be righted?

Also, the forfeiture of a relay gold would cost Michael Johnson his 4th gold; Alvin & Calvin Harrison would also lose gold and Antonio Pettigrew would lose the only Olympic medal of his career.

[Jnathletics]

Re: Jerome Young situation

I believe the IOC/WADA have come up with a three year statue of limitations. So none of the 70's and 80's will be rewritten. But the reason WADA made such an issue is if October ?,2003 would have passed and no investigation was in place then the 2000 olympics would have been passed the time limitations. So, know they have their investigation going and can stripe the 4x400 medals if they can prove anything.

Re: Jerome Young situation

This could open
>up a huge can or worms. Could Ben Johnson now
>have to forfeit his 1984 bronzes & the relay
>bronze for his teammates & give medals to Ron
>Brown & the Italian relay team?

Different situation. Johnson had not tested positive prior to the 84 Games and Young had before 2000.

Should the IOC
>demand answers from Germany for the state
>sponsored drug programs of the 1970's & 80's and
>change medals in dozens of sports. If certain
>countries had tested athletes prior to the games,
>or anytime during the year, to determine what
>their steroid levels were. If those documents
>exist, then should not previous wrongs be
>righted?

Yes, the IOC should demand answers from East Germany for state sponsored drug programs in the 70s and 80s. Slight problem though in that East Germany does not exist as a country anymore with it's own governing bodies. I don't know, however, how much of their personel or infrastructure was assimilated into the new Germany.

Also, rightly or wrongly, there exists a statute of limitations, thereby giving those 70s and 80s cheaters clear sailing from worry about having their marks and awards taken away.

Also, the forfeiture of a relay gold
>would cost Michael Johnson his 4th gold; Alvin &
>Calvin Harrison would also lose gold and Antonio
>Pettigrew would lose the only Olympic medal of
>his career.

Point is? Amazingly, when you break the rules of the game (cheat), there are actually some consequences towards you, and likely your teammates. I really hope that decisions such as this are not based on whether it would result in Michael Johnson losing his 4th gold and the great hardships it would cause him.