Since there hasn't been any controversy in the the forums lately, perhaps we should smack the hornet's nest a bit...
What are your thoughts regarding the following hypothetical situation as it relates to competition:
Suppose that tomorrow morning we wake up to find that medical researchers have discovered that a mixture of various substances (e.g. human growth hormone, testosterone, etc) can be taken with little or no bad side effects. Furthermore, it offers the following benefits on average:
1) A longer life span.
2) Improved general health, both mental and physical.
3) Greater resistance to some of the more common severe health problems such as heart disease, cancers, alzheimer's, etc.
Suppose that it also has a strong positive affect on one's swimming performance.
Suppose further that this treatment is expensive and not covered by most health insurers.
Question: Are the people who take it for the health benefits welcome to compete in master's swimming? Would your answer be different if the treatment were available inexpensively/free to everyone?
-LBJ
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
Leonard,
Nice post...... I wish I had thought of it first.
Answer: Let'em take their drugs. Legalize it. It's too hard to catch them red handed anyway. Just make sure you put an asterisk next to their name in the record books so we know they cheated.
John Smith
Any form of record- keep a sample (blood) test later as masking agents are known and DQ or place and asterisk next to the person that has a banne dsubstance. Testing costs are coming down as testing has become more mainstream.
Originally posted by TheGoodSmith
Leonard,
Nice post...... I wish I had thought of it first.
Answer: Let'em take their drugs. Legalize it. It's too hard to catch them red handed anyway. Just make sure you put an asterisk next to their name in the record books so we know they cheated.
John Smith
Any form of record- keep a sample (blood) test later as masking agents are known and DQ or place and asterisk next to the person that has a banne dsubstance. Testing costs are coming down as testing has become more mainstream.
