Darren Campbell

[GlennB]

...... but if he is running clean of substances, and is competative, and has served a punishment I see no reason for him not to compete.

 

UK - first and foremost I'm not having a go at you or the very decent and reasonable case you put .. but -

 

In many walks of life e.g. law, medicine, the 'care' business, education etc etc if you get "struck off" then you serve your time, pay your fine or whatever, but broadly speaking are then deemed untrustworthy to continue work in that field.

 

Chambers and co have not only 'stolen' money that was unearned according to their true ability. They've denied glory and earnings from fellow competitors and they've stolen the time and emotional involvement of all the people (like me) who love athletics and admire the speed,skill+strength of the athletes.

 

The rules of absolute personal responsibility for what goes into an athletes body are there in black+white, bold, italic+underlined. The athletes are surrounded by coaches, managers, physios, medics, colleagues, family+friends who can clarify matters if the particular individual is not very clued-up. These people know what they're doing and are hoping to get away with it. In order to stop others from "hoping to get away with it" the current crop of culprits need banning, for life, straight off. Then the sport might make progress. If not, this will go on forever and the whole sport will become worthless.

[captain cojones]

just like the sport of cycling has become worthless in my humble opinion.

[GlennB]

just like the sport of cycling has become worthless in my humble opinion.

yep. you can't trust what you're seeing

[RobStubbs]

just like the sport of cycling has become worthless in my humble opinion.

 

That's very true and that's what people often forget. It aint just the guy caught that gets fingered everyone else loses credibility by association and people then think half the GB squad are on drugs. That then belittles all their acheivements and those of the untold professionals and volunteers who do what they do for the love of the sport.

 

There is no excuse for people to do drugs whatever anyone says. Sure there's peer pressure, just the same as there is for everyone else in life. People make their choices and decide whether to do things the right way or try and steal victories by cheating. If you do that then you deserve the life ban, nothing else.

 

I also think GB athletics should never have selected Chambers. It gives completely the wrong message. They are saying do drugs, do the time, then come on back onboard.

 

Oh and don't forget those athletes that miss dope tests. Ban them as well. Sure you can miss one test but more than that and force them to be tested immediately or face a ban.

 

Rob.

[spasor]

There`s only one thing that bothers me. Why is Chambers being picked to run at all.

The British Olympic Comittee have already declared that they will not allow him to compete at olympic level.

[GlennB]

There`s only one thing that bothers me. Why is Chambers being picked to run at all.

The British Olympic Comittee have already declared that they will not allow him to compete at olympic level.

My guess is that management couldn't see any other gold medals coming our way except the 4x100

[RobStubbs]

There`s only one thing that bothers me. Why is Chambers being picked to run at all.

The British Olympic Comittee have already declared that they will not allow him to compete at olympic level.

 

Umm I doubt that will actually hold water and it isn't their call (as I understand it). If he's done his time according to the rules then he would legally be entitled to sue etc. It's the rules that need toughening up not 'picking' on certain athletes. After all he isn't the first and certainly won't be the last.

 

Rob.

[Ferg]

Probably with the 2012 Olympics coming up the Great Britain team need to be seen to be winning gold in order to get sponsorship for the games. I think thats why he was chosen.

 

By the way has Dwane Chambers ever apologised.

 

I can't remember seeing one.

 

Edited August 16, 2006 by Ferg

[GlennB]

Umm I doubt that will actually hold water and it isn't their call (as I understand it). If he's done his time according to the rules then he would legally be entitled to sue etc. It's the rules that need toughening up not 'picking' on certain athletes. After all he isn't the first and certainly won't be the last.

 

Rob.

The British Olympic Association has rules that prevent a convicted drug cheat from competing at the Games (and is one of only three such national Olympic bodies that does this). Seems this will include Christine Ohurugu, who so far has only missed drug tests.

 

Chambers was at the Europeans under the rules of the British Athletics Federation (or whatever its successor is called, if it's been replaced yet), which allows a return to competition after doing your time.

 

Meanwhile a poll shows 80% of Guardian readers sympathetic with Campbell's actions, and the Guardian editoral page ran a story "In praise of Darren Campbell"

 

All power to the BOA and I just wish more sporting organisations had the same b#llocks.

[UK-Fishing-Tackle.co.uk]

In truth the body shape and physical structure of a lot of these 'atheletes' - especially the women, is certainly not natural, and there is (I suspect) and will always be newer drugs designed to be even more undetectable than THG - as I said - Chambers was part of a conspiracy in the athletics world, and one which tens, if not hundreds of athletes were probably implicated in, not to mention coaches, doctors, and probably one or two people within the various athletics federations around the world.

 

Lets not forget - even if you rule out banned substances it certainly isn't level - the 'sponsored' athletes are taking the most advanced nutritional development products on the market which run into thousands of pounds per month to have custom developed specifically for them. The olympics is not a 'fair' competition by any standards, and the concept of athletes competing on talent has long been superceeded by expensive opening ceremonies, sponsors for every aspect of every event, and the money atheletes are paid to compete (lets not be fooled one way or the other these guys are making money).

 

Some of the time we are being a bit unrealistic in our expectations of our sporting heroes - for example, what are the chances in the tour de france that you can perform that well for 30 stages or whatever, so close together without picking up painful injuries (highly remote really). 100m in 9.74 seconds - when I was a kid (15 years ago) no-one, other than Johnson, ran under 10 really! Oh, and lets not forget legal drugs - how many NFL players (or football players in the UK, or tennis players or rugby players) are playing with cortisone shots administered right before a match? Cortisone is not only performance enhancing it can be performance enabling, yet no-one worries about it. The problem with it, and it is widely documented, that loading people up with such stuff can result in more damage being done (since it masks the bodies naturally response to injury i.e. pain), so in truth if sports were being properly monitored the practice would be outlawed entirely.

 

Also whilst on the subject, what about recreational drugs or even going out on the razz the night before. In other words, has the athlete done anything to 'underpeform'. Horse racing is the only sport I know of where if you 'under-perform' you (and your horse) are tested and investigated - and the reason why is because of betting scandals. In a modern world, where gambling is more mainstream, and more accessible it is very poor indeed that if a runner who should finish first suddenly rolls over the line in seventh that no-one asks any questions! I know examples of snooker matches, football matches, and just about any sport you can imagine, where I've seen someone massively underachieve based on expectations AND more importantly, look like they haven't tried or made 100% effort. I'm surprised the gambling industry doesn't push for more regulation in sport as they have successfully achieved in horse racing (reasonably effectively).

Edited August 16, 2006 by UK-Fishing-Tackle.co.uk