Another World Class Swimmer Caught Cheating

Very well put Phdude: However, Marion Jones will never be able to repay the 2nd place finishers for their stolen time on the winners block. Every one of those 2nd place finishers were robbed of their just recognition, fame, accolades and endorsements that result from winning gold medals. We cannot quantify that; yet years later this cheater finally comes clean after living the good life off the spoils of her deceit, lies and illegal performance enhancing drug use. Big whippy do, she had to give the medals back and her records were erased from the books. My point is a simple one. The harm and damage caused by cheaters like Marian Jones is incredibly damaging and costly to those 2nd place finishers. It shattered and destroyed years and years of the 2nd place finishers honest hard work, courage, grit, persistence and determination (not to mention the cost of training all those years). Marian Jones’s naked greed and lust for fame and fortune destroyed a life time of hard work and dedication for those women who came in 2nd place. The only difference between Jones and the burglar that busts into your house is gloves a flashlight and a lock pick. She is nothing more then a common thief. Her punishment does not remotely come close to compensating for the harm and damage she caused. Not even close. My vote, let’s get serious and make the punishment commensurate with the crime.

“Who says the 2nd place finishers weren't on drugs too?” Gosh, that is a bit cynical, but you have a good point. When I write about the 2nd place athlete I am referring to clean athletes that tested negative and did not cheat. Good point on FloJo as well. In the interim, lets lock a few of the drug thieves up and see if it has an impact on illegal performance enhancing drug use. What we have now sure as heck does not work. It is a joke at best if we are to believe what the experts write.

Kirk, that scenario surely qualifies for poetic justice. LOL

Yesterday, in the e-mail sent by the other magazine, there was an article about the problems in brazil. Unfortunately, after I read the e-magazine, I deleted it. Did anyone save it. I understand from a friend who lives in Argentina, Brazillian Olympic Committee and some of its sport foundaitons are very disorganized and corrupt. The members of the Brazillian OC are appointed by politicians as rewards for favors. I'm not real sure how this works though. I htink that not until recently, since the olympics in Greece there were no 50meter pools in South America that were avaiable to atheletes. I guess there are some inhotels & one at the presidents palace in Brazalia.

prison's too extreme swimming ought to be like body building have a natural category and an anything goes category Prison is not the all in all fix. But, it is a good start toward the fix. My point is a simple one. The lack of punishment or consequences fosters abuse of these rules. The results of illegal performance enhancing drugs are often hidden and very difficult to quantify. But it is killing sports. Who ever thought a home run baseball would auction for close to a million dollars and then get branded with an asterisk before being sent to the Hall of Fame? If we really want to stop it, then make it unpalatable and very expensive if caught cheating. Anything less then severe consequences is a joke the cheaters laugh at. Let's face it; it takes a very brave SOB to step over the corpse to see if the gun is still loaded….figuratively writing.

Interesting story in yesterday's New York Times: www.nytimes.com/.../13essa.html Excerpts: Old Story, Updated: Better Living Through Pills By KEITH WAILOO Published: November 13, 2007 The New York Times "Athletes taking performance-enhancing drugs. Growing concern about a reliance on pills for relief from pain, stress and anxiety. Medical leaders alarmed about drug fads, calling on doctors to exercise restraint when prescribing." "Headlines from 2007? Try 1957. Today, the drugs are OxyContin, steroids and Ritalin. Fifty years ago, they were tranquilizers, sedatives and amphetamines: America was a Cold War nation in need of both pep and relief..." "...In 1957, the American Medical Association began an investigation of “pep pills” in sports. In track and field alone, a dozen runners had run the four-minute mile in the three years since Roger Bannister first did it. How could this be possible, the doctors wanted to know, without stimulating drugs? Were athletes using amphetamines to stimulate the nervous system, reduce fatigue and improve performance?" "...Australian Olympic swimmers were under a similar cloud; even high school athletes were suspected..."

The naturals are always won by someone using and not getting caught. If there is money to be made there will be cheats/crmiinals. It's simply economics. There are even guys out there likely doping for golf, on an amateur basis...if it means another 20 yards on the drive... Doping on an amateur basis is crazy. I'd see folks in the gym who would raise suspicions of "jucing up." Do they compete in bodybuilding or powerlifting, or anything? No, they just want to "look good for the ladies." :rolleyes: I can understand professional athletes turning to substances as they have a financial investment at risk, but amateurs?

"When you see mature men who have already strength-trained for years, and all of a sudden they gain 30 pounds of lean mass, I am tremendously suspicious because that doesn't happen naturally. You don't need to be a steroid scientist to know that is incomprehensible." The same suspicions are also raised when we see a 41 year old woman who has been out of the water for some years, had a child and came back to swimming and beat a field of the fastest American swimmers at the nationals in Indianapolis; all the while looking buff like a 22 year old college swimmer. :confused:

Ande, What's to stop people from competing in the "clean" category and also cheating. You'll just have the same problem. Funkyfish brings up an interesting point about World Records....... how can anyone beat Flo Jo's records without juicing? John Smith

prison's too extreme swimming ought to be like body building have a natural category and an anything goes category The naturals are always won by someone using and not getting caught. If there is money to be made there will be cheats/crmiinals. It's simply economics. There are even guys out there likely doping for golf, on an amateur basis...if it means another 20 yards on the drive...