Drug Wars - Another one bites the dust!
How long is it going to take to figure out that it is the coaches and agents who are big part of this drug issue? You cannot coach an athlete on drugs and not know it. Justin Gatlin is coached by Trevor Graham who has had six other athletes test positive. Sure he sent the syringe to USADA, how did he get it? What was he doing with it? How tough is that connection to make. Why don’t the USOC and USA Track& Filed take a stand and ban the drug coaches. Here is what Darryl Seibel, a U.S.O.C. spokesman said: “We are thinking about broadening the scope of responsibility and accountability to include individuals who have the ability to influence the athlete, such as coaches, trainers and agents,” He said the committee could deny those people access to the Olympic training centers, accreditation to the Olympics and access to high-performances services provided by the committee. Why not outright ban them and fine them? Make everyone sign a contract that states that if they or an athlete they are working with tests positive they are banned from being coaches or agents.
We need to get our heads out of the sand if we want clean up sport. Right now the outlaws are so far ahead of the law it is scary. There is so much money at stake, not only in athlete’s contracts but also the sponsors have so much to lose if a high profile athlete goes down. I believe the sponsors and the sports governing bodies are part of a vast conspiracy to sweep all this under the table. They constantly demand higher performance levels with unrealistic competition schedules. What is the limit?
posted by Vern Gambetta @ 7/31/2006 09:41:00 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
I would agree that these coaches, docs, Athletic Trainers, Personal Trainers, etc. should be held more responsible. The difficult task lies in knowing when and how much they were involved. The bottom line is that the athlete is ultimately responsible for what is put in and on his/her body.
Athletes are responsible but sometimes I just wonder if they could unknowingly be "poisoned" despite their best efforts.
As a coach I promote to my athletes personal responsibility and accountability in all aspects of their life and not just their training and competition. I do this by being a personal example of what it means to lead this kind of life.
If one of my athletes were to test positive I would expect them to own their circumstances. But that is me, and what of the coaches who overtly or covertly promote active drug use to their athletes, I suggest that a solution is far more involved than a simple blood or urine test as it is for an athlete and is not outrightly baning and fining them without proof beyond doubt.
"to include individuals who have the ability to influence the athlete" - As a coach I cannot control an athlete only influence them, ultimately as autonomous human beings we must rise and fall by the consequences of our choices.
Whether someone has 'influenced' them or not the final choice to contravene the international drugs in sport convention is their own and nobody else's.
If a coach is promoting drug use to them they have the choice to do something about it.
Such a tough issue to tackle!
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