Drugs in sport

Here is a quotation from Chris Pilone's email newsletter from his training camp in Colorado, USA. (Chris is one of the best running and triathlon coaches).

"...I have been appalled at the apparent acceptance of Americans using performance enhancing drugs and the acceptance of it by the local media. In this morings paper there was a call for performance enhancing drugs in professional cycling to be legalised. On Saturday the Tyler Hamilton Foundation organised a fun ride up a local mountain. Despite him still serving a suspension, Hamilton featured very prominently in several newspaper stories. Virtually no mention of his positive for a blood transfusion at the 2004 Tour of Spain and no mention of his keeping of his Olympic Gold medal after his B sample was mistakenly frozen in Athens. "
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Gary Moller comments:
I have a Power Point presentation about drugs in sport. One of the most disturbing slides I use quotes a report that estimates that 219,000 is the annual number of teens who use steroids in the US for recreational use for Body building or Sport.

I use this research to debunk any complacency in the audience that we are winning the war on drugs in sport. We are losing because these teenagers are obviously not bothered by the dishonesty, health risks or the illegality of this practice that is done for either vanity, to win, or both.

These 210,000 teenagers are now young adults who will one day become the elite athletes, the coaches, the administrators, event promoters, doctors, judges, lawyers and police.

50% of my 975 readers are from the USA, so this is written with you in mind.

This teenage drug use figure is a sad indictment on US society which has huge and largely irresistable influences on the rest of the world. This depressing situation is hardly surprising when, from its President down, there is blatant hypocrisy, dishonesty, twisting of the truth and the attitude that "its all OK so long as you don't get caught!" - plus the national obsession with youthful perfection, no matter the cost.

Of course there are many, many honest and decent Americans (My readers for a start) who will not accept these practices of hypocrisy and dishonesty. Any moves, or even the suggestion to legalise the use of performance enhacing drugs in any sports event must be vigorously resisted. Once allowed, even on a local basis, the floodgates will open and we can kiss healthy sport goodbye.

Important:
For Tyler Hamilton's defense of the drug allegations against him go here
Read it and judge for yourself.