Drugs in Sport....

I don't know about you but I feel very disappointed when ever I read about sport personalities taking performance enhancing drugs. There is now so much money in sport that I suppose the temptation must great. We all know that it went on in the Eastern Block countries long before the routine testing caught many of these cheats. Gradually in recent years a lot more sports, especially athletics have been tainted with drug taking and blood doping.

This week there has been a lot of controversy, here in the UK, about drug cheat Dwain Chambers who was given a two year worldwide ban from competing back in 2003. He has a lifetime ban from competing in the Olympics, however, amazingly he is being allowed to compete in the 60m indoor sprint at the World Indoor Championships in Spain next month.

This is a man who admits to taking a drug because he was arrogant enough to believe it would not be detected. When eventually caught after testing positive, he went on to say 'you can't win anything without taking drugs'! So why is he being allowed to compete, because of some stupid clause that says anyone who wins the trials has automatic qualification. Now I'm all for forgiveness and once someone has served his/her time...they should have the opportunity to put it behind them and start again. What I do find it hard to believe is that he should have changed his views about taking drugs and looking at a recent photo (he took the drug for some 18 months)...well I don't think I need to say more!
UKA are I understand looking for ways to exclude drug cheats in the future. What do you think? What message does this send to young athletes trying to make their way in a highly competitive sport?

While I'm on the topic of sport.........
you will have read that Hollywood film director Steven Spielberg has resigned as an artistic adviser to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing accusing China of not doing enough to pressure Sudan over Darfur (as reported by the BBC). I saw an interview with George Bush on the news last night and he seemed relaxed about attending the Olympics, emphasizing while he was there, he would not talk publicly about Beijing's policies and that Spielberg's decision was a personal matter. Why is that sport, music, films become a political arena........or am I burying my head in the sand!! I'd be interested in your views.

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