Is the Code coming?
French anti-doping agency delays decision on Landis
I realize this was a strategic move by Floyd Landis, but tell us something we didn't already know. While this was an issue we all could have assumed without the legal explanations there are still some interesting facts within the news item. What caught my eye was the US has yet to ratify the WADA code.
Back to Floyd for a moment; take the ban now. Just bite the bullet (and your lip) and move on. There's always collateral damage during messy investigations and allegations, and whether you doped or not you are officially a victim of that unfortunate "friendly fire" segment. There is no way legally or otherwise that your case will be completed before a two year ban would be over. Put this behind you and keep your family's head afloat financially because in the end you'd be the only once convinced you're dope free.
Back to the WADA code.....well, the USA government is on the WADA board, the US Olympic Committee follows it, USADA is on board, as well as any UCI event in America because they agree as a whole. This started me to investigate something that is too convoluted for the average guy like me to get my head around, but I went forth anyway.
Although WADA does not have any governmental powers many countries have formally agreed to abide by its rules through UNESCO. So far only 45 countries have ratified the International Convention against Doping in Sport 2005. Right now Landis could potentially go to Italy or the US to race if allowed by their respective agencies, but not Spain (the AP report is misleading). The document went into force on February 1, 2007, but there are 186 countries who have previously agreed to show intention of implementing the WADA code. In other words, it's on the way boys. Put away your syringes.
The First Session of the Conference of Parties to the International Convention against Doping in Sport just took place in Paris on February 5th through 7th. Maybe France has ratified the WADA code and UNESCO has yet to update their website, but currently they are not listed as having agreed to the code despite what the ESPN article from the AP says. Until the governments officially ratify this code it will be left to smaller organizations within those respective countries to enforce the code.
Like everything else I encounter this raises more questions. If the US ends up ratifying the WADA code how does this affect major league sports in the US? Will the US government then go after athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL? How far reaching will the WADA code go into athletics? I have yet to find information answering those questions, but I will continue the search.
Personally, although I have been a critic of WADA's procedures and lack of professionalism regarding documentation I do want to see the WADA code succeed. Sport must have a body larger than any one government to lead the charge against doping, and at least we have a model being worked on and implemented. We know the fight against doping is a worthy fight, a fight that must happen, but it's the details that can delay progress from happening.
At the same time I want to see fairness in its implementation and a broader approach when it comes to major league sports in the US. Football, basketball, baseball and hockey players have been getting a free ride for too long. Now it's time to put all of them under the spotlight and hold them accountable like cyclists have been for several years now. Cycling is a sport seen as filled with dopers, but in reality they're the only ones being caught due to strict testing. A lot of people will be in disbelief when their eyes are shown what's underneath that bright spotlight on major league sports. If non-cycling fans think McGwire, Bonds and Palmeiro had it rough, well, just you wait.
Will that come to fruition? We'll see if the US ratifies the WADA code.....
I realize this was a strategic move by Floyd Landis, but tell us something we didn't already know. While this was an issue we all could have assumed without the legal explanations there are still some interesting facts within the news item. What caught my eye was the US has yet to ratify the WADA code.
Back to Floyd for a moment; take the ban now. Just bite the bullet (and your lip) and move on. There's always collateral damage during messy investigations and allegations, and whether you doped or not you are officially a victim of that unfortunate "friendly fire" segment. There is no way legally or otherwise that your case will be completed before a two year ban would be over. Put this behind you and keep your family's head afloat financially because in the end you'd be the only once convinced you're dope free.
Back to the WADA code.....well, the USA government is on the WADA board, the US Olympic Committee follows it, USADA is on board, as well as any UCI event in America because they agree as a whole. This started me to investigate something that is too convoluted for the average guy like me to get my head around, but I went forth anyway.
Although WADA does not have any governmental powers many countries have formally agreed to abide by its rules through UNESCO. So far only 45 countries have ratified the International Convention against Doping in Sport 2005. Right now Landis could potentially go to Italy or the US to race if allowed by their respective agencies, but not Spain (the AP report is misleading). The document went into force on February 1, 2007, but there are 186 countries who have previously agreed to show intention of implementing the WADA code. In other words, it's on the way boys. Put away your syringes.
The First Session of the Conference of Parties to the International Convention against Doping in Sport just took place in Paris on February 5th through 7th. Maybe France has ratified the WADA code and UNESCO has yet to update their website, but currently they are not listed as having agreed to the code despite what the ESPN article from the AP says. Until the governments officially ratify this code it will be left to smaller organizations within those respective countries to enforce the code.
Like everything else I encounter this raises more questions. If the US ends up ratifying the WADA code how does this affect major league sports in the US? Will the US government then go after athletes in the NFL, MLB, NBA and NHL? How far reaching will the WADA code go into athletics? I have yet to find information answering those questions, but I will continue the search.
Personally, although I have been a critic of WADA's procedures and lack of professionalism regarding documentation I do want to see the WADA code succeed. Sport must have a body larger than any one government to lead the charge against doping, and at least we have a model being worked on and implemented. We know the fight against doping is a worthy fight, a fight that must happen, but it's the details that can delay progress from happening.
At the same time I want to see fairness in its implementation and a broader approach when it comes to major league sports in the US. Football, basketball, baseball and hockey players have been getting a free ride for too long. Now it's time to put all of them under the spotlight and hold them accountable like cyclists have been for several years now. Cycling is a sport seen as filled with dopers, but in reality they're the only ones being caught due to strict testing. A lot of people will be in disbelief when their eyes are shown what's underneath that bright spotlight on major league sports. If non-cycling fans think McGwire, Bonds and Palmeiro had it rough, well, just you wait.
Will that come to fruition? We'll see if the US ratifies the WADA code.....
posted by NashvilleCyclist.com at 2/08/2007 08:42:00 AM
4 Comments:
What does Landis get from taking a ban now, if he believes he is innocent and can be cleared? He loses the championship, the bonus that goes with it, the commercial opportunities, and is driven out of competitive cycling.
mystified by your reasoning,
TBV
How would you handle the following scenario:
While the two of you are chatting across the fence one day, your neighbor smells what he believes to be perfume. "The human body does not naturally produce this odor," he thinks to himself. So, he takes a second whiff to confirm his assumption and proceeds to announce to the community that you are in fact cheating on your spouse. After all, "Men cheat", right? Word spreads quickly and you now face losing everything you hold dear, unless you can miraculously produce evidence of something you didn't do.
Would you "bite the bullet"? Would you attempt some sort of explanation(s) for the fragrance?
I think an innocent man might first question the neighbor's sense of smell.
TBV - - - It is my belief that he will not get his name cleared and the appeals process will still find him guilty, while also taking two years to accomplish the same outcome as if he would have acceped the ban outright. Either way he chooses to go the outcome will be the same, but with accepting the ban he will not have bankrupted his family. Plus, this process is taking a toll emotionally on a level that not even Floyd can fully grasp today. Another thing to consider, Floyd is still a ways away from being in race shape because of his hip surgery. He needs more time to heal, regain strength, and train effectively.
I say all this not because I believe him to be guilty either. As I have said before absolute truth will never be reached in this case, only Floyd knows for sure. "Believes he's innocent" and "can clear his name" are two points on the map that in my view will not intersect. Actually, Floyd should "know" and not "believe."
Also, proving his truth to every other stakeholder will be impossible at this point. Sadly he lost his opportunities for endorsements a long time ago. He has some good people working on his behalf, but the other side will not allow this case to result in a favorable outcome for Floyd.
I made reference to this decision when I discussed the options available to him in my "Costly Defense" blog. I hope that my gut feeling is wrong about the outcome and Floyd wins his appeal. Right or wrong, the system must improve and his case has put the spotlight on the drug testing authorities. Good can come from this experience, but Floyd is the man who must carry the burden of change on his shoulders.
Yol - - - Since you asked, I would easily dismiss your scenario by saying the rumor is absurd. So I spoke to a man across a fence in my own yard smelling of perfume? Well, duh, obviously I just left my own bedroom. My evidence is the fact that my wife is waiting for me to return so I can ravage her again. She will happily corroborate my story and squash the rumor.
I wouldn't question my neighbor's sense of smell, but I sure would be puzzled by his lack of common sense.
Any more questions?
Maybe if you posed it under a different setting, ie at a pub drinking with another woman, then maybe I'd have some explaining to do. Of course, I wouldn't be dumb enough to be sitting in a bar hanging all over another woman either.
Any scenario you describe cannot reach the level of comparison for Floyd, well wait, unless you said I fathered a child to a woman not my wife. A paternity test would prove my innocence or guilt wouldn't it? Floyd was tested in similar fashion under circumstances that up until his positive test he stood behind. Now that he's the guilty one he's damning the system (which needs obvious fixing). What did he think of riders who got busted before and how did he respond in their defense? I don't know, but riders are guilty of stupidity for not standing up sooner. Lance Armstrong is the only guy to defend himself and the sport, and he never even tested positive!
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