It's interesting talking to them both about Dwain Chambers - though they both competed before his time, when drugs were more rife (without disclosing too much it's VERY interesting talking to them about Linford) - one of them absolutely believes he should have been banned for life, the other believes in second chances and is pleased he's able to compete again.
Our very own Iwan Thomas spoke about the same thing (can't find quotes), he had 2-3 seasons at his peak whilst the drugs cheats of the day were winning golds across ten years. He got his World Champs gold in the end but 13 years late, and the best moment of his sporting career was denied to him. Neither would the US relay team mates of the late Mr Pettigrew who had to give their golds back. Or the Nigerian athletes who won gold at the 4x400m in Sydney 2000, but you never heard about any of them because they only got them last year. That's just some of the athletes who didn't get the photo on the podium to show their grandchildren, because of one cheat. You will forgive them for not thinking that drugs are ok.
My point is that there would never be cheating if you legalised ped's, and any athlete would know that the competition is 100% fair. If a gold medal is so important to them than they can use the same drugs.
Forgive my ignorance, but what is a "ped"? Performance Enhancing Drug? I'm just seeking confirmation because if it is, then I am really struggling to believe you even wrote that sentence.
That's rubbish, any sport where it is useful to be able to train longer and recover quicker would benefit from the use of performance enhancing drugs. Football, along with tennis make absolutely pathetic attempts to deal with doping in sport and to be honest I don't think there is much appetite amongst the governing bodies to do so. For example Kolo Toure received a 6 month ban when he tested positive for a banned substance that was called a "dieting tablet" in the media, the substance he took was not performance enhancing in its own right but a masking agent to prevent other positives. It will be interesting to see if anything ever comes out of the Operation Puerto investigation in Spain, a doctor over there was arrested and hundreds of blood bags were confiscated. The doctor involved has said that he organised the doping for several Champions League football sides along with a top Spanish tennis star, as well as dozens of cyclists who have already been named. As things stand at the moment the Spanish judge has ordered all the bags of blood to be destroyed, although an appeal has been launched through the European court to prevent this from happening.
How is that fair to the athletes that are not prepared to take associated risks to their health that go along with taking PEDs?
They can do whatever they want with their bodies. Risking your life to play sport seems silly to some but worthwhile to others, the risks drugs pose arent any different to the risk of injury imo. It's unfair when an athlete competes cleanly when others compete with ped's illegally. If you are only concerned about fairness you would legalise drugs.
You should take some then before posting. I await the performance improvement with eager anticipation.
If i am being honest I enjoy winding you up, but what I have stated is honest. I don't do ped's myself but like watching the tdf thinking they are doing so. It makes the sport more interesting not only with the intrigue of who's doping and what effect it's having on them but it also improves the racing. I don;t want to see ped's in football but I don't really care about if football is fair or not if I wanted it to be fair I would want ped's to be legalised.
I wouldn;t take ped's even if they made you smarter. You have to pay for what the drug gives you at some point, you may as well put the hard work in now rather than cop it later on. Back onto sport though, David millar the scottish time trialist was done for epo I think and he said that doping ruined his enjoyment of the sport saying that if he won it was a relief and if he didn't it was crushing.
I understand your point but again I can't agree with it. Most of these drugs can have extremely harmful long-term side effects. Why should anyone have to risk that? It makes a mockery of what 'sport' is supposed to represent.
If you legalise these drugs, the pressure will be on all athletes to take them with long term effects on their health. Sport is supposed to promote health.
Haha. Not too sure on the porn star rumours as he still played in lower leagues and then joined the army and is now a family man serving the country. I played against him at school and college age, he was a cracking player and was very highly regarded in footballing circles.
Why dont we make it easier and give steroids to all footballers and have a enhanced level of football
Was rife in the 70's and 80's, surprised its not talked about more. Something that football has swept under the carpet. Also the strength of "painkillers" they dosed out back then would be banned these days as well. Partly why so many older pros had serious muscle wastage and arthritis. Wasn't really given to be "performance enhancing" more to actually enable players to play through injury and pain. Guess its all linked though.
