Question for T and F News

[Keyser Soze]

How will all the recent drug news effect the World/U.S. rankings you publish every winter?

Will athletes who have tested positive for modofinil and/or THG still recieve rankings?

[gh]

Re: Question for T and F News

T&FN policy in this department is pretty simple.

*If an athlete logs a positive test for a steroid like THG (or any other 2-year ban), T&FN--in a tougher policy than IAAF has--considers the whole year to be poisoned, and the athlete is denied any Ranking consideration or any place on the yearly lists.

*If an athlete logs a postive test for a minor stimulant, such as Modafinil, T&FN takes the same stance as IAAF, which is that the athlete loses any credit for the meet in which the positive test shows up. That means that a Kelli White, even though testing negative after the 200 at the World Champs, loses credit for that event as well as the 100, after which she testest positive.

*These penalties are not applied until the athlete has been found completely guilty. i.e., not only does there have to be an A&B positive, there also has to be a termination of the appeals process. This is why, for example, Ali Saïdi-Sief was given a WR position in '00, even though he had turned in a positive test. His appeals proces was still ongoing at that time. Severla months later, we retroactively modifed the Rankings.

*For this year's Rankings, the rash of THG/Modafinil "news" is going to have minimal effect FOR NOW, because ultimate guilt has yet to be determined in all the reported cases. Neither the IAAF nor USATF have actually closed the case on anybody.

Re: Question for T and F News

Not always so clear. Do you remember Ben Plucknett in 1981?

[Half Miler]

Re: Question for T and F News

>Not always so clear. Do you remember Ben
>Plucknett in 1981?

Or Ruth Fuchs.
Athlete of the DECADE for the 70s.

Re: Question for T and F News

I'm a little younger, but I do remember catching a glimpse of the honors going to Ben Plucknett back in '81, in an old T&FN on a friend's bookshelf a few yrs back.

Of course to their 'credit' - the editors justified the decision by saying something to the effect that he had a great season before his positive test came in and "we all know that the Europeans are cheating!"

After reading that, it became apparent to me that T&FN (at least back then), was not as neutral about some issues as most would believe. I am pleased to know that they take the stand that they do today and hope that they remain as impartial as they can on these issues.

I do appreciate that they are an American organization with great American interests. Of course, they may argue that even the 'Bible' has a favorite country (Israel), hence their role in playing favorites with American athletes from time to time would not be unprecedented. Afterall, aren't they "The Bible of the Sport since 1948"? ;-)

Also, I hope that as it becomes more evident of the underlying drug infrastructure in some circles of the sport, that staff writers and editors- in the interest of the sport and not just national interest- seek to ask the tough questions and print the tough articles which ought to be voiced. Afterall, isn't the Bible supposed to contain 'TRUTH' as a primary source of light in a dark world?