Squaggles said:
Well I guess it depends if you think the UCI have been doing a good job in their efforts to combat doping . I would have to say they haven't .
Show me any sport which has got it house in order over doping? I can't think of any.
For me it is unrealistic to expect that cycling, or any other sport, will ever eliminate doping. We are dealing with selfish humans here, some of whom, no matter what the risks, will dope if they think they will have their day of glory.
Just a computer hackers find new ways to evade the secruity protocols put in place by software developers so too will those that want to cheat find ways round advances in doping detection with new methods of evasion.
All that can be done, beyond rigourous testing procedures, is that we make the punishments so severe that you make doping for most sports men and women beyond consideration. Life bans are a start because often sports people have a love for their sport above anything else and if the thought of never riding again for doping hangs over them then that will deter most. Governments need to tackle this as well as it reflects on national pride and because of that doping should be as much a criminal offence for users as it is to facilitate it and that must be backed up by the courts who impose sentences appropriately.
Testing alone will never be the whole answer and it is time that everyone realised that. What will be more effective is that all interested parties ie clean sportsmen/women, their teams, promoters, governing bodies, dope testing organisations, governments, etc started acting together instead of trying to score points of each other. Where there are problems with system then they will better solve these through co-operation rather running to the media slagging each other off which only takes the effort away from where the real focus should be and actually makes co-operation in any sort of meaningful way less likely ie they say the right things but slag eachother off behind their backs or in the media because they feel they are under seige. Them and us mentality.
What really gets me is that now is that everyone is blaming each other for the fact that cyclists are still doping and that now all sense of proportion is lost in that climate now where everyone is now considered a potential doper instead of the other way round. It is the over reaction of the varioius interested parties which is doing more damage to cycling than anything else as they are creating the impression that cycling is rife with dopers. What the last few weeks have shown is that individuals are doping however teams do not appear to encouraging this. This demonstrates that cycling has cleaned its house up substantially - no longer endemic within teams. With tougher action against dopers and their supporters this will yield even greater results but only if they act togehter.
