Features
Should Drugs Cheats Compete for Team GB at the Olympics?
March 14, 2012 Nicola  |
Following the Arbitration for Sport meeting, the BOA has defended their policy of a lifetime Olympic ban for drugs cheats.
On Monday the Court of Arbitration for Sport held a meeting in which the arguments were heard both for and against the current policy of lifetime Olympic bans for any athlete caught using performance enhancing drugs.
In one corner is the British Olympic Association who originally created the bylaw and is now fighting to defend their stance against drugs cheats in their sports. In the other corner and fighting to remove the lifetime ban law is the World Anti-Doping Administration (WADA).
Following this decisive final round of talks Lord Moynihan, the BOA chairman, spoke positively of how he felt the talks had gone, telling reporters: “It was a good day, all the arguments were put really strongly. The voice of the athletes was definitely heard and we now wait and see.
“Today was an outstandingly good presentation; the voice of the athletes came over strong and loud so I’m cautiously optimistic,” he added enthusiastically.
The British Olympic authority is the only one in the world that imposes this kind of lifetime ban on drugs cheats competing in the Olympics, having initiated the policy 20 years ago.
The final decision is to be of great significance to Team GB, with sprinter Dwayne Chambers hoping the ban is lifted so he can perform at his home games in the summer. There are also two other high profile athletes in cyclist David Millar and shot putter Carl Myerscough waiting to see if their bans are lifted.
Although this seems a pretty simple case of someone breaking the rules and not wanting to take the punishment, the issue is much more distorted than that.
Having completed his mandatory two-year ban by WADA after being caught for taking the anabolic steroid THG in 2003, many believe Chambers has served his time and is now being punished for the same crime twice, a kind of double jeopardy situation.
Not only has he served his punishment but he has been totally open to how and why he decided to use performance enhancing drugs, as well as showing the utmost regret and remorse.
As well as now competing for the Great Britain team again, he has also become a staunch anti-drugs in sports campaigner trying to give people the first hand experience of someone who cheated and the way it has affected his life.
American sprint athlete Justin Gatlin, himself banned for testosterone use for four years, has come out supporting Chambers’ Olympic challenge. Following his 60m sprint win at the World Indoor Championships, in which he beat Chambers, Gatlin said: “He’s one of the best runners in British history.
“He came back after all his trials and tribulations and established himself as one of the best runners for the UK team.
“I think he has proven himself as a God-given talent and a good runner and to have him on that line in the Olympics would be a great show.”
Gatlin, a former Olympic 100m gold medallist, is free to compete at this year’s Olympics if he qualifies, as the United States team allows those who have served their bans to compete for their country.
Even some of the most ardent opposers to drugs cheats have shown some sympathy for the Chambers situation, including Paula Radcliff who famously held a banner denouncing EPO ‘cheats’ at the 2001 World Athletics Championships’ 5000m final. This protest followed the reinstatement of Olga Yegorova, who was running in the final despite testing positive for the substance.
Speaking about the BOA’s anti-drug cheat policy, Radcliff has said: “I actually totally supported that rule that if you had a drugs ban you shouldn’t be allowed to compete in the Olympics – it should be a life ban.”
However, she has got sympathy for Chambers’ predicament: “He is one of the few who stuck his hands up and said ‘I did that and I’m sorry’, and admitted it. A lot of people have done their time and never admitted it and they are allowed to come back and compete, and that isn’t fair.
“It has to be a proper rule. I would rather see every country take the BOA’s rules on board. But if not, I think you have to have some sympathy for Dwain and the situation he’s in.”
Christian Malcolm, a fellow member of the GB sprinting team with Chambers, has also come out showing support for his teammate, saying: “I believe everyone should have a second chance on this. That’s my true belief on it.”
As Lord Moynihan suggests, though, there are a large number of athletes who don’t share this sympathy for Chambers, or indeed any athlete caught cheating, and fully support the BOA’s stance of a lifetime Olympic ban.
Double Olympic gold medal winner Rebecca Adlington responded to the news that there were efforts to remove the bylaw by saying: “[I]Can’t actually believe this story. Whatever happened to drug-free sport?”
Former Olympic sprinter Darren Campbell has also gone on record to show support for the BOA.
The fact that this law has been in place for the past two decades means that any athlete that knowingly cheats should know what the consequences of their actions are and be prepared to face the punishment.
The issue has now come down to one of fairness and that there is precedence of the BOA revoking a lifetime ban, as in the case of Christina Ohuruogu. Having missed three out-of-competition drugs tests, Ohuruogu was banned for a mandatory year. The BOA then imposed their Olympic ban on her. After several appeals by the athlete to the Arbitration for Sports, the ban was overturned when she said that she would leave Britain and look to compete at the Olympics for another nation.
Whatever people’s individual opinion is on this matter there is one thing for sure: whatever the outcome to this hearing there are no winners. The spectre of performance enhancing drugs still looms over sport at the elite level and it doesn’t look like going away any time soon.
By Jonathan Trickey
[Image courtesy of maxzix74]
THIS IS OUT RAGOUS, poeple should not get a second chance becasue they are cheating and could cost the UK a gold medal