Drugs scandal rocks hopes for Olympic gold

[Squidly Didly]

A drugs storm has enveloped Australia's Olympic preparations with explosive claims in Federal Parliament that six elite cyclists used an Australian Institute of Sport residence as a "shooting gallery".
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/18/1087245115867.html

sigh... discuss

[Dhfactory]

It happens in XC mtbing too :(

-Sean

[Dhfactory]

But don't worry guys, he can still compete if he chops off his little fella and takes some more steroids, and comes the the olympics as a GIRL!!

FFS... when will this world learn.

It happens in every sport, it's no big deal. Now he has two years to take the steroids and build up some massive legs, then come back stronger than ever.



-Sean

[toodles]

I think it was Sean Palmer who once said athletic should be like car racing. We can have stock (no steroids) and pro modified (anything you want). Would make for some interesting new world records.

Anyhow, cheaters suck. I don't care which country they're from or what team they play for.

[Dhfactory]

We can have stock (no steroids) and pro modified (anything you want).


Problem is thousand of athletes take or have taken steriods.

The thing is as long as they haven't taken them in say the last three months then they are fine to compete in the olympics and things.

-Sean

[Joel O]

i've heard that a lot of athletes who get injured just before a big event like the olympics aren't actually injured. they're just taking steroids and competing in B and C class events where they don't get tested and they suddenly recover in time for the event, they just come back from a major injury and somehow run times that are heaps quicker than they've ever done before :shock:

[junior]

mark french got banned for 2 years cause he was taking a horse steriod or sumthing. and hes told names of many medal contenders :?

[Dhfactory]

It's reality, if you people don't think it is then you are dreaming. hundreds of them would have been on roids at some stage.

-Sean

[hazman]

I just don't understand the stupidity of the athletes who take performance enhancers, surely they know that they are going to be caught, and dhfactory on what do you base your claims…

[dylma]

etch, theres goes some chances for austrailia in the gold medal tally :(

[johnny]

Equipment and technology determine sporting events already. If you allow drugs in sports, it stops being a competition of physiology and becomes a science that the team with the most money wins.

[Rik]

mark french got banned for 2 years cause he was taking a horse steriod or sumthing. and hes told names of many medal contenders :?

Thumbs down to this. Cycling is going to take a blow it'll take a long time to recover from. Yes, drugs are rife in the sport (and probably every sport to some degree), but to come out and make it headlines for papers and TV news is just going to drag the reputation of cycling through the mud.

Whilst I don't like the idea of performance enhancing drugs, I would also like to be proud of being a cyclist, and right now I am not.

[wombat]

I would also like to be proud of being a cyclist, and right now I am not.

But if it's all under the rug then you're proud enough?

[junior]

mark french got banned for 2 years cause he was taking a horse steriod or sumthing. and hes told names of many medal contenders :?

Thumbs down to this. Cycling is going to take a blow it'll take a long time to recover from. Yes, drugs are rife in the sport (and probably every sport to some degree), but to come out and make it headlines for papers and TV news is just going to drag the reputation of cycling through the mud.

Whilst I don't like the idea of performance enhancing drugs, I would also like to be proud of being a cyclist, and right now I am not.

cause this coach i knew trained sean eadie when he was abit younger and hes still right into it reckons sean is one of the other main drug offenders. look oh god dam big sean is!!!
mark french was takin steriods when he was at the junior world championship :shock:

[Rik]

But if it's all under the rug then you're proud enough?
It's reality... drugs in sport will always be an issue. But the media blowup about it is what I'm not keen on, now we'll have the "every cyclist is drugged up" crap for a long time... yay for sensationalism.

[wombat]

But you should know the at the elite level of road cycling, these drugs are a good deal more prevelant than in a lot of other sports.

On another note, Lance Armstrong was accused (again) earlier this week of using growth hormones. From what I could glean from a thread on another forum, the human growth hormone that a lot of cyclists have been caught using is actually only illegal when you have too much of it. Because it's a naturally occuring element, the UCI set an accepted level for it, so if you're naturally lacking HGH, you can up your balance to the limit and reap the benefits.

I don't know personally, it's nice and easy to call it cheating, but I do wonder sometimes; the playing field was never level to start off with, because some people find it inherently more easy to build muscle mass etc. By this logic, people who naturally gain more from training have an unfair advantage anyway (not that I believe that, I'm just rambling).

[johnny]

I don't know personally, it's nice and easy to call it cheating, but I do wonder sometimes; the playing field was never level to start off with, because some people find it inherently more easy to build muscle mass etc. By this logic, people who naturally gain more from training have an unfair advantage anyway (not that I believe that, I'm just rambling).

Interesting point, but you end up with those who can put on mass easily, taking the roids and being unbeatable! I mean look at Schumacher......um.. hang on,... no. Seriously tho, you'll never stamp it out, but to publicly discredit those who do as cheaters and as was seen recently in California with this new synthetic testosterone, publicly discredit the scientists, endocrinologists vets and pharmacologists who create and proliferate these drugs and hormones as they are the ones who are just in it for the dirty money! I mean where's their huge pressure and desire to be no.1? They're parasites IMO. :evil:

[josh]

They say for every sucessful test they develop for a new performance enhancing drug, there is another 5 out to replace it.

Drugs in sport will always be an issue, it's a human flaw. We need to find the gene and crush it (:

[naz]

on the topic off drugs.

i found that police are encouraging young people to take drugs. my theory goes like this the new blood alcohol for young drivers is 0.0 no tollerence meaning no drinkin, thus making young people take drugs, buying them off dealers who buy them from police, thus funding the black market. dodgy cops. i want wholesale

:P

[n00b]

on the topic off drugs.

i found that police are encouraging young people to take drugs. my theory goes like this the new blood alcohol for young drivers is 0.0 no tollerence meaning no drinkin, thus making young people take drugs, buying them off dealers who buy them from police, thus funding the black market. dodgy cops. i want wholesale

Cut out the middle man eh? fair enough......

[j5ive]

thus making young people take drugs

Hardly force fed. If you want to go somewhere and drink its not that hard to arange other transport to get home. Just another lame excuse.

[wombat]

If you want to go somewhere and drink its not that hard to arange other transport to get home.
You obviously haven't tried in a rural area. We have NO public transport to this area on the weekend, and the cost for a cab home from the nearest pub is $65~; that's if you can actually get one to come at all.

The 0.0 limit is quite a rediculous law, but not because it promotes illicit drug use (I think that may have been a joke :wink: ).

[naz]

The 0.0 limit is quite a rediculous law, but not because it promotes illicit drug use (I think that may have been a joke :wink: ).

tis a joke, and because 2 king size cherry ripes can put u over o.o

[Squidly Didly]

Update: Champion cyclist banned for life
By Jacquelin Magnay and AAP
June 21, 2004 - 4:10PM

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has banned cyclist Mark French for life after finding the 19-year-old guilty of trafficking in performance enhancing drugs...

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/21/1087669898148.html?oneclick=true

[Rik]

This will be interesting now the other 5 have to be named, let's hope they can clean up the mess before the Athens team is selected. It's going to be a cloud over our heads at the Olympics, that's for sure, but I hope that they do some thorough testing to weed out anyone that could risk giving a positive result at Athens.

[Superman]

as i heard on the news tonight a cyclist was saying that he doesnt want to be on the couch watching cheaters fill in his deserved position when he is a clean man.

this bloke was a runner up to make the olympic team.

he deserves to go if he is fast enough.

[danv]

I think it was Sean Palmer who once said athletic should be like car racing. We can have stock (no steroids) and pro modified (anything you want). Would make for some interesting new world records.

That would seriously be a mad idea, if it wasn't for all those health risks.

[Superman]

I think it was Sean Palmer who once said athletic should be like car racing. We can have stock (no steroids) and pro modified (anything you want). Would make for some interesting new world records.

That would seriously be a mad idea, if it wasn't for all those health risks.

and the unintended shrinkages on ya dong and nearby areas.








very imature i know i just noticed

[wombat]

I hope that they do some thorough testing to weed out anyone that could risk giving a positive result at Athens.

Exactly; I mean if we get caught at the Olympics just because someone didn't take their masking agent, or left a juice syringe lying around the hotel room, it could be disasterous.
We only want the most commited junkies.....I mean athletes as part of our team.

[DEVLIN]

It happens in every sport, it's no big deal. Now he has two years to take the steroids and build up some massive legs, then come back stronger than ever.

Not quite. During the term of the suspension they are required to go through regular drug testing to ensure they don't do this very thing. They are actually not allowed to return to competition if they haven't done this for some time.

But you should know the at the elite level of road cycling, these drugs are a good deal more prevelant than in a lot of other sports.

I think the problem cycling has is that it is the most tested sport in the world and regularily catches people out. I think if you tested every other sport as much the world would be very shocked to see how much drugs in sport and well as every day life exist. When sports like shooting and even lawn bowls having been drug tested in the past, it is a sure bet that sports like swimming, athletics, tennis, golf, footy, cycling, cricket, etc. etc. all have problems with drugs. There is a lot of money, more than you can imagine, and prestige involved in competeing on the world stage. Hell, how many of you guys have drunk a Red Bull before you have gone out on a 3 am lap at an enduro or before the finals run of the day? I know it is only a Red Bull and really can't compare to systematically injecting yourself with horse steroids, but non the less you are after the kick of the caffeine and guirana(sp?) and they are both stimulants with caffeine only having just been allowed in competition.

Don't be naive everyone drugs are in every sport. I am more disappointed in Mark French's attitude in taking everyone down with him just becuase he got caught out. If in the end it turns out he was innocent and is taking down people who have set him up then that is a different situation. He has to accept he is guilty by association for letting the others shoot up in his room. Personally I reckon he got caught out and he should cop it on the chin for playing the game. All the athletes do.

[Squidly Didly]

Update: Cyclists reject disgraced teammate's claims
By Jacquelin Magnay
June 25, 2004

Shane Kelly, Sean Eadie, Jobie Dajka, Graham Browne, and Brett Lancaster are among cyclists defending themselves against claims made by their disgraced former teammate Mark French
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/24/1088046226260.html

[danv]

I don't know personally, it's nice and easy to call it cheating, but I do wonder sometimes; the playing field was never level to start off with, because some people find it inherently more easy to build muscle mass etc. By this logic, people who naturally gain more from training have an unfair advantage anyway (not that I believe that, I'm just rambling).
I think with that question, that its a matter of the values of sport. And those values would include taking the natural human body to the limit, and competing with absolute best specimens of the human (ie. however the human is born). Im not making the point very well here, but what I mean is that sport is about the limits and abilities of the human body, where genetic luck plays a large role in determining the characteristics of the body.

I also don't understand why sportspeople doing non peformance enhancing drugs is really an issue, apart from perhaps so called idols or celebreties. If some cyclist is found to have been using coke, even if it was through standard event drug testing, it should have nothing to do with any sporting related authority.

[Rik]

Shit's really hit the fan now... all the big guns are going to have their names dragged through the mud at the very least. Time to tighten up testing, and hope we pull through this.

[McBain]

And just to add to the fun, the Brit David Millar has reportedly admitted to using EPO. Great, more ammo for the tabloids just before the TdF.

[Squidly Didly]

Update: 'I was nowhere near injecting room'
By Jacquelin Magnay
June 26, 2004

Olympic hopeful Graeme Brown says he could not have injected vitamins with disgraced cyclist Mark French last year because he was not in Adelaide at the time
http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2004/06/25/1088144979313.html

[ellemenophee]

I agree that it was poor for French to pull those down with him rather than copping it on the chin. If the prevalence of drugs is rife in road cycling then that culutre was " clear " to him before he took the chosen path. Bitching about it when you get caught is poor & simple minded.

David Millar this morning, yep...oh dear. PR office @ TdF probably have their phone off the hook this morning. Stu O'grady moved to that team 6 months ago. The whole situation of drugs in cycling has recently focused on his former team riders for Cofidis. He even won 2 stages in a recent race despite a media ban & now the Time Trial Champion ,David Millar of his own team gets done. HOoray he must be saying.

But seriously the drugs aren't going to go away. No matter what. The next stage is already being taken in sport- Surgery. If its the swimmers having their adnoids drained ( ? ) or sportspeople cleaning out knee's or pinning bones together- these are all performancing enhancing.

In the future i'd expect to see a bone marrow transplant in a health 16 year old with exceptional sporting abilities. To enhance his oxygen carrying abilities & recovery. A heart operation to wrap an extra band of muscle near a left ventricle & after the recovery period you have yourself 1 super athlete. Will pass any drug test you want & is probaby only 5-10 % better than the star athletes around them of that age.

I dont know how to fix it.
It is a poor reflection cast from our " professional cyclists " that " we " the normal cyclist may have to wear for a short time until the media gets a whiff of some other scandal.

[ellemenophee]

I am not pointing the finger at Stu O grady at all.
The Cofidis issue happened b4 he got to the team.
A really poor work morale to be in . Poor guy.