Anti-Doping and Congress

Two weeks ago Trent Staley posted an article on the AEC Blog from the January Issue of Outside Magazine titled Good Cop, Bad Cop. The article exposes some of the issues that are affected athletes and the ways they are forced to sacrifice in hopes of keeping the sport clean. If you have not yet read this article, please do.

Then last week AZ Senator John McCain held a press conference to talk about a bill he is proposing to require all supplement manufacturers to register the ingredients of each product with FDA. Among those in support of the bill are Bud Selig, Commissioner of the MLB, Travis T. Tygart, CEO of USADA, and the Athletes' Executive Committee's own Kicker Vencil. An article reporting the subject can be found on ESPN.

The concept of this bill is very simple, and that's what makes it so intriguing to me. If the ingredients in all supplements are clearly disclosed, it becomes much easier for athletes to compare the banned substances list to the list of ingredients on a product's package. Ultimately this would be a better situation for athletes across many sports, and could put anti-doping agencies one step closer to having a seal of approval on 'clean' supplements.

Outside Magazine article on Anti Doping

Outside Magazine, January 2010

Good Cop, Bad Cop
WADA, The International agency that oversees drug testing in sports, has done a solid job of cleaning up some rotten games. But a growing number of critics contend that it's become overzealous and arrogant, sometimes trampling the civil liberties of athletes in the process. As the case of Winter Olympian Zach Lund illustrates, they have a point.

http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/201001/zach-lund-wada-1.html

"Lund, who, despite everything, favors dope testing in sports, calls the current system "a witch hunt." He'd like to fight back, to stand up for athlete rights. But Lund shares a problem that many of us, including the U.S. Senate and governments around the world, share: He is still moved by the Olympic dream, and he is willing to put up with anything to fulfill it." - Outside Magazine

This is a pretty good read and while we are always looking for stronger doping controls in our sport and within WADA and USADA, this article sheds light on some short comings of the system and the very real sacrifices elite athletes make in the name of clean sport.

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