Drugs in Sport – Biographies

Once again I open my paper to see a story about drugs in sport.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/othersports/article-1157606/DWAIN-CHAMBERS-TALKS-TO-MARTIN-SAMUEL-How-drugs-shame-brought-brink-suicide-physical-cost-fight-win-gold-clean.html

But this is a bit greyer than most. It is a review as selection of writings from Dwain Chambers autobiography – Race Against Me, My Story.

Available from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Race-Against-Me-My-Story/dp/1905988753

Now fact Chambers severed a two year ban for using THG, he is banned form competing for Britain at the Olympics for life, and he is now back – clean – competing and winning Gold medals as a sprinter.

So the book raises a number of points should an athlete prosper from selling the story of cheating? Or is it part of the life experience and an autobiography can be justified? Should the athletic cheat be covered by the same laws that stop criminals prospering form book deals on bank robberies etc?

All that aside the book appears to be different to many other on a number of levels. The first is Chambers wrote it himself – no ghost writer hearing stories and creating a book that flows in a readable manor, Chambers just has had a friend tidy up the prose, so it is to quote Marten Samuel in the Daily Mail...

“It is , for the most part, a searing, honest account of his life in athletics and time as a walking junkie- Chambers Words – under Conte. Chambers goes further than any athlete in revealing how, why, when and where”

I hope the book will be a deterrent but it also highlights failing in managers and other coaches in spotting the drug use or not acknowledging the problem. Also the athletes mind set that others are doing it so why shouldn’t I.

I think the most telling comment I have read so far is ....
“There will be a lot of people out there cheating, though, people who know how to manipulate teh programme.”

This last statement made me think about all the coaches I have heard talk of “getting in the refs head” it is just playing to the letter of the law, or at the edge of the rules. Is that cheating – if so can one form of cheating or performance enhancement etc playing the letter not the spirit of the law be more acceptable than a performance enhancing drug?

The bottom line is to the average kid who comes to a Dojo to train drugs in sport isn’t an issue, it is only an issue to them when it is normalised in the hero’s or stars they idolised are seen taking drugs of any kind that it has a real impact on them. SO Chambers book I will buy and read, as a coach to see what went wrong and perhaps help me see signs to look out for, as a warning to other players....perhaps someone should send a copy to Mr Phelps.

Phelps and Chambers both part of teh same problem – misuse of Drugs – but is there a consistancey across sports, or sanctions and consequences applied faily to all?

Should Cambers profit form the book? I don’t know, should he have written it? ...yes – and every coach should read it.

Todays rant over, see you Tuesday,

Drugs in Sport

I sit at this computer after a hectic day......more snow.....a frantic drive following a hard teaching session at Winchester College....and a badly swollen aching rib....that is the last time I try and spin out of a yoko-tomenage.

The ice packs are working and I feel a large dose of medication will be needed to aid sleep. Which bring me to today’s topic – drugs. I got an entry form to the High Wycombe Masters which stated there will be no drugs test – which is great all us old junkies who need anti-inflammatory drugs and anti rejection drugs for hip replacements can sleep well. However In a week Michael Phelps is seen smoking cannabis how good is drugs screening in sport at present?

Cannabis isn’t a banned drug ...just illegal....as it isn’t performance enhancing ...... more damage has been done to the Phelps brand than to swimming. However it does make a mockery of anti doping.
WADA – the Word Anti Doping Association have a system where all funded athletes have to register where they are for one hour a day should they be chosen for testing, this could be training , at home or any place of their choice. Even though they have to register this weeks in advance they can change location and notify WADA by e-mail, text or phone up to an hour before the hour starts.
Yet this causes a major problem for the Football Premiership as UEFA has just signed up to the WADA rules but many footballs stars think this is an invasion of their privacy, is it?

I agree with Anti doping – all sports should be a level playing field ......but when an athlete can get a 2 year ban because they have missed 3 tests- not failed , not used drugs – just had the misfortune to not be in the place they said, 3 times in 2 years, and it s a 2 ban. Several athletes have served been band and then they gone on to win world championships or even Olympic Gold.
So isn’t there a double standard in a system where an Olympic Champion can take illegal drugs, be photo graphed and blame it on youthful excess and to date suffered no sanction, and an athlete who is not where they said they would be on three occasions gets a 2 year ban!!

There are cases where NGB have been informed of Steroid use in Funded athletes and ended up banning the reporting coach – but more of that another time. As a coach it is our job to inform out athletes of the laws and procedures regarding drug misuse. The problem is how do you square away the inconsistencies, no system is perfect and WADA are getting there, more sports are signing up to its codes and practices.

Part of the problem is NGB’s don’t like to see their drugs problems and cheats splashed over the papers. Perhaps naming and shaming would help clean up the sports and show the majority that we weed out the minorities who give sport in general a bad name.

So Should Phelps be reprimanded and if so how........... He wins Olympic medals , the fact he uses illegal recreational drugs......does it matter ....perhaps – perhaps not.........however when the child that sees him as a role model says it is okay to try cannabis because Michael Phelps does and he is an Olympic champion ...that is a REAL PROBLEM ...from an Olympian whose favourite quote is: “ Actions speak louder than words”

Will he be fined, banned, jailed ? Who knows part of the problem is his coaches, team, university... it is better for them as long as he says sorry and can carry on swimming!

ME I am going to take some drugs for medical use ( co-codamol) and the sooth my busted rib.
See you tomorrow....