Carl Spackler wrote:
So what alternative are you suggesting? Throw up our hands and live with dopers because the testing program isn't perfect? If you're got a solution then share it. Otherwise I'll take an imperfect attempt at clean sports as opposed to doing nothing.
The solution I'm afraid is likely not going to happen because it'll require at least 2 orders of magnitude more resources than currently exists and also needs global political will (most nations are currently seeking to cut anti-doping resources) and for anti-doping administration to be truly independent and corruption free. When you look at the mess in athletics, anti-doping bodies and sport admin bodies are complicit in the whole nonsense.
My concern with such tiny effort as this is that it's mostly about PR, and not about putting in place effective anti-doping activity. One only has to do he numbers to see that and I think it sends the wrong signal (i.e. we are not really all that serious about it).
Since real solutions are unlikely to eventuate, then perhaps consider at least generating some $ that might enable some more effective activity.
e.g. rather that the woefully inadequate resource generated by a once per year surcharge, how about applying those same surcharge amounts to every race entry and the funds not be delivered to USAC but to an independent anti-doping body? Then you can have some staff able to do some investigative and intelligence gathering work that will properly direct some of the testing resources. Imagine one season doing a blitz on a hotspot region including some OOC testing?
In any case, it's all pretty moot. People can still dope pretty easily and get away with it. Thinking otherwise is naive.
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