WADA (1) and the IAAF (2) know that drug abuse is also a problem in other sports. This should not deter them from leading the way by imposing new rules and procedures for Athletics as soon as possible, in particular for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
The tragic death of Tom Simpson, while climbing the Ventoux mountain in the 1967 Tour de France cycle race, should not be forgotten. His death was due to an overdose of drugs. Afterwards everyone wanted better controls to eliminate Drugs in Sport ! Now, 49 years later, the world is still fighting the "Cheats", by both sportsmen and others !
Is Cycling now clean ? No one dares to maintain that ! There are other sports, which are not so much in the limelight, where Drug Abuse can be suspected. For example, why do weightlifters die so early ? Clean sport activity generally ensures a longer life.
One should not simply ban countries or sports when Drug Abuse has been identified. This also penalises and destroys the ambitions of young sportsmen who are clean. A timetable for the introduction of effective controls should be determined for sports bodies, particularly for those which participate in the Olympics and International Competitions.
In this respect WADA and IAAF could become leaders and help with the creation and adoption of effective controls in all sports.
1) WADA = World Anti Doping Agency
(2) IAAF = International Association of Athletics Federations
No comments:
Post a Comment