UCI aims complete eradication of doping

Posted on February 22, 2012 by admin

Inevitable doping scandals tarnishing cycling as a sport have, of late, provoked cycling’s governing body to impose severe sanctions, leading to a life ban on riders found guilty. Pat McQuaid, the president of the International Cycling Union said: I would certainly be in favour of doing that, as far as I’m concerned, it is a zero-tolerance policy. I think the punishment is tough enough because when guys get caught it’s the end of their career. This summer, the Tour de France witnessed the most dismal state of all times for cycling fans as early hopes of a clean and exciting race were totally devastated. As sponsors are increasingly distancing themselves, the sport is totally in a state of chaos. Until recent, the Gerolsteiner GmbH, a German mineral water company is inclined to cease its long-time promotional contract of professional cycling. Proceedings such as these, have forced the UCI to rage a war against doping with all the professional teams having signed the most rigorous testing regime in the world of sports, thereby laying evidence of cycling’s determination to win back public confidence. Image Courtesy Via: BBC

Landis loses appeal and held guilty for doping

Posted on February 20, 2012 by admin

The 2006 edition of Tour de France enabled Landis in capping one of the most remarkable comebacks in cycling history but for now he cannot boast it for long, as he has been stripped off the title after a panel upheld a two-year ban on the cyclist and rejected his appeal against it. Since Landis’s affair becoming public, the headlines about top cycling rider’s involvement in doping scandals became quiet persistent. Adding to the black list, the American is the first Tour de France winner to forfeit his title following the drug abuse, meanwhile Spain’s Oscar Pereiro who finished second, has been named the king of mountains. Landis’s ban runs till 2009, but he claims any wrongdoings and blames the incompetence of the testing agencies for the result. Pat McQuaid, UCI president, said, Landis has been found guilty. It proves that the system works no matter who you are. We now await and see if he does appeal to CAS. It’s not a great surprise considering how events have evolved. He got a highly qualified legal team who tried to baffle everybody with science and public relations, and in the end the facts stood up. The verdict that should have come much earlier has certainly been a remarkable stride in building the lost integrity of cycling sport that has been blemished by relentless doping scandals. I personally feel that such matters should be severely dealt with resulting in athletes or cyclists worldwide to face straightforward life bans and be treated a criminal offense. Image Courtesy Via: BBC

Doubles whiz Melo debarred for doping

Posted on February 16, 2012 by admin

The 2007 season for tennis appears to be crammed with drug abuse and bans. Two of the men’s players have been suspended this year for failing drug tests and three others are serving bans, including Slovakia’s Karol Beck. With singles ranking much lower and currently rated 52nd in the world for doubles, Brazilian tennis star, Marcelo Melo has been banned for two months for a doping violation. The doubles specialist had made it to the men’s doubles quarterfinals at the U.S. Open and also to the semifinals at Wimbledon, winning 82,095 dollars in the process, along with fellow Brazilian Andre Sa. This has lead to his forfeit of the prize money won and ranking points as well. Although, the ban has been reduced from the usual two years to only two months as Melo did not intentionally take the substance to improve his game. The suspension that backdates September 10 ends by November 9. The Anti-Doping Programme in Tennis is a comprehensive and internationally recognized drug-testing programme that applies to all players competing at tournaments sanctioned by the ITF, ATP and WTA Tour. Players are tested for substances prohibited in accordance with the World Anti-Doping Agency and upon a finding that a doping offence has been committed the sanctions are imposed as per the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code. Image Courtesy Via: Bloomberg

Track-Star Jones admits steroid use

Posted on February 13, 2012 by admin

For years, American sprint queen Marion Jones kept everyone in dark, denying any doping allegations even to the extent to sue BALCO founder Victor Conte in 2004 for $25 million, who repeatedly accused her of the same charges. Though under scrutiny by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, she has never been charged with a doping offence. Finally, seven long years after her triumphs at the 2000 Olympics, the three-time gold medalist has admitted in a recent letter to family and close friends that she used performance-enhancing drugs before the Sydney Games. In the letter, Jones admitted of using the steroid known as “the clear” for two years beginning in 1999. Former coach Trevor Graham, provided her the substance, saying it was the nutritional supplement flaxseed oil. The five-medal harvest at the Sydney Summer Olympics included three gold and two bronze that made her the most celebrated star of the games, but could now well be, stripped off the brilliance. Once hailed the greatest woman athlete in the world, Jones presently also pleads guilty to an unrelated financial matter. She however, might face the maximum penalty for lying to the federal agent, which may lead to five years in jail and a $283,660 fine.

Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones hands over Olympic medals

Posted on February 10, 2012 by admin

Jones considered as one of the longest and most dismal tales in sports that has been disfigured by doping, reached its denouement by handing over the five medals she won at the 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics. Jones won the 100 metres, 200 metres in addition to taking third in the long jump, was part of the winning 4×400 team and the third-place 4×100 team. The ending is infact a valuable reminder that true athletic accomplishment is not obtained through cheating and any medal acquired through doping is only fool’s gold. Jones herself had steadfastly denied ever using performance-enhancing drugs, even as the BALCO suspicions swirled around her. To further extent she even sued BALCO founder Victor Conte, for defamation over his accusations. United States Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr said: She relinquished this afternoon the medals that were won unfairly at the Sydney Games. She took the right step by quickly returning the medals.They are in the possession of the USOC and will be returned to the IOC so they can be awarded to the appropriate winners at the Olympic Games. Announcing her retirement last week after admitting of taking steroids to a New York court, Jones also accepts a two-year ban and will have to hand back more than 100,000 dollars in prize and bonus money.

Hingis retires from tennis after admitting positive drug test

Posted on February 6, 2012 by admin

Martina Hingis might be ranked among the best female players of all time in the glamorous sport of tennis but she won’t be able to shake off the doping issue that has lifted its ugly head to entrap the Swiss tennis star. Although the WTA has refused to confirm that Hingis tested positive for a banned substance during this year’s Wimbledon, the tennis player’s decision to come out and retire from the sport is a firm indication that nothing more can be done. Hingis herself has revealed that her A sample tested positive for cocaine at this year’s Wimbledon but has denied that she ever took the drug. Hingis doesn’t go head-on to accuse the drug-testers of any mistake but at the same time, Hingis denies that she ever took any banned drugs to enhance her performance. So at 27 years, Hingis has decided to retire. This is of course not the first time that the Swiss legend has called the curtains. In 2003, a series of serious injuries forced her to retire prematurely from the sport when she was arguably at the peak of her ability. By that time, she has already racked up 5 Grand Slams, including the Wimbledon. Her return to the tennis circuit in 2006 inspired the belief that Martina Hingis could once again scale the lofty heights. Indeed since her comeback from retirement last year, she has won three titles and has improved consistently in the Grand Slams too but the shocking revelation that she took drugs, knowingly or unknowingly, has knocked the steam out of that conviction. Hingis’ claim that she never took any banned substance in her career is not too difficult to sympathize with when one considers the amount of honours she has gathered in her illustrious tennis career. Her retirement from tennis in the wake of the doping allegation signifies her resignation to fate and the suspicion that she did take cocaine to enhance her performance would of course be hard to ignore. After all, she had just retuned from 3 years of persistent injury problems.

Doping hits cycling hard: Is it the end of road for T-Mobile team?

Posted on February 4, 2012 by admin

It is inspiring indeed to see some of the toughest men on the planet battle it out across the heights of Alps & then finish on the Champs- Elysees to be crowned as the champions. It is unbelievable when you watch Lance Armstrong attack on the slopes of the Alps, Michael Rasmussen dance away with ease over the mountain stages, Alexander Vinokourov launch an attack after attack from the ‘peloton’ & Boonen & Hunter fight it out at the sprint finishes. ‘Tour De France’, I must confess, is the only cycling event that I ever watch & I do so with great enthusiasm. While I do keep myself aware of the results of ‘Giro de Italia’, it never makes me television set. While the dampener in all this is surely the doping scandal that seems to constantly hit the sport of cycling. It really is taking a lot of gloss off the sport. The latest revelations Patrick Sinkewitz’s riding for team T-Mobile about the intake of EPO & blood transfusion seem to have virtually put his career on the sidelines & also might put the famous magenta-black jersey’s out forever. Patrick’s confessions that T-Mobile as a team have used EPO & blood transfusion since 1997 till 2006 come as an absolute shock to the officials of cycling’s governing body. While EPO is a drug that cyclists across the world acknowledge helps immensely with the pace of the race, its intake is banned by the sport. It is clearly branded as a performance enhancing drug & now T-Mobile is paying the price for its devious methods. German telecommunications giants Deutsche Telekom are meeting this week to discuss the possibility of ending their sponsorship of T-Mobile; this despite having another 3 years of contract. While many believe it is almost certain that T-Mobile will be all but gone after this week, the wait seems to be about the conditions to which the contract would be scrapped. It is now a matter of ‘when & how’, rather than ‘if’. The famous sight of a leading train of magenta-black jerseys that for nearly 6 years went head on with US Postal & offered Jan Ullrich the best possible chance to dethrone Lance Armstrong, is now a mere sight of the past. For many years it was team of Ullrich, as he commanded them like a general against war. Those great contests between Ullrich & Lance will now forever be dogged by the cloud of doping. It is a sad day indeed for all those who love the sport of cycling & enjoyed one of its greatest rivalries.

IOC strips Jones off her Olympics laurels

Posted on January 26, 2012 by admin

The unbeatable five Olympic medals of sprinter Marion Jones during the Sydney 2000 Games were snatched from her by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) after admitting she was a drug cheat. All her hard work and pains were put to waste after IOC ruled out that she has no right to claim her winnings after being found doping before her game in Sydney Olympics. Prior to the scandal, Jones was considered as a superstar in track and field after receiving three gold and two bronze medals in Australia. It was an achievement that no other female sprinter ever achieved in history. As a consequence of her disgraced drug cheat, IOC president Jacques Rogge banned Jones to be part of the Beijing Olympics and possibly barring her from the succeeding Olympic Games. Simply put, it is the end of her career as an athlete. But this has not yet been made official. Her admission disqualified her from her winnings and the results were scrapped. Even her American team mates were in hot water whether they will be part of the disqualification and the second placer Katerina Thanou be given the gold medal considering she too has allegations of doping. Jones bested gold medals in the track of 100m, 200m and 4x400m relays in Sydney. Her bronze medals came from her long jump competition and 4x100m relay. Aside from snatching her Sydney triumphs, she was also disqualified in 2004 Athens Olympics record finishing fifth in the finals’ long jump competition. Jones already returned her medals to the IOC.

IAAF slaps two-year ban on Marion Jones

Posted on January 19, 2012 by admin

Sprinter Marion Jones has been slapped a two-year ban by the world governing body of athletics, IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation), for doping. She has also been stripped of her Olympic and world championship titles and all her other results have been annulled. All relay teammates of Jones ( from the 2000 Sydney Olympics) have also been disqualified and stripped of their medals. Jones has also been told to return prize money, estimated at $700,000. According to IAAF spokesperson Nick Davies, Jones can compete only after she has paid back the stated amount of prize money. Therefore, though Jones has actually retired, she remains officially suspended till 7 October 2009. She would also have to give a 12 months’ notice to the IAAF if she wanted to compete again following the ban. Jones won the 200 meter world title in 2001 and had claimed the gold medals in the 100 meter, 200 meter and the 1600 meter relay in the Sydney Olympics. She also won the bronze medals in the 400 meter relay and long jump in 2001. Jones had admitted that she had taken the designer steroid ‘the clear’ during the period September 2000 to July 2001. She retired last month after pleading guilty to federal investigators in 2003. She has returned her Olympic medals ( five), and has also agreed to forfeit all her results dating to 1 September 2000. However, IAAF and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) are yet to take a stand on altering the record books and revising the awarded medals. It is up to the IOC ( which has the authority over Olympic medals) to decide whether Greek sprinter Katerina Thanou would be upgraded to the 100 meter Olympic gold medal. Thanou and Kostas Kenteris (Thanou’s fellow Greek runner) had failed to show up for a drug test in 2004, stating that they had been injured in a motorcycle accident and both pulled out of the Athens Olympics, 2004. Both were later awarded two-year bans. Jacques Rogge, the president of the IOC, has stated that only ‘clean’ athletes will be moved up in medal positions. There would be no automatic upgrades, and hence, keeping the 100 meter winner’s spot vacant remains a possibility. source

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