I have a mixed reaction to the announcement of the positive test for caffiene on Miller. I realise that she has been in the sport long enough to know the rules, but her story is plausable. At least the ingredients were listed on the can and were no surprise to her. A more unfortunate situation, and one which should not happen,is the manner in which she was treated by the drug testing procedure. Imagine that for more than 2 years she got up each day to train not knowing if this would be the day that she got a return phone call, if this would be the day she would find out what rules apply, if on this day the USATF would be the prosecutor or the advocate, if on this day the USATF would be in charge or would it be the IAAF, if on this day ANYTHING would happen. The fact that she could keep her spirit during this time is remarkable. The wait and the uncertainty was as painful as the announcement. Whatever this letter to Masback says, I applaud it. The vision and the courage of these athletes is as important as the content of the letter. Who better to initiate change than the athletes? Imagine the power of these athletes if they would boycott the championships if testing was NOT done.What is this, the '60's? HR
>From: "Eamonn Condon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: "Eamonn Condon" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: "\"Athletics\"" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Subject: t-and-f: Athletes fighting their own battle on drugs >Date: Sat, 20 Oct 2001 17:29:48 -0700 > >The Electronic Telegraph >Sunday 21 October 2001 >Owen Slot > > > > > >THE DRUG-testing regime in athletics in the United States is shortly to >come >under further attack, and this time from a group of its own athletes. > >Ever since the Sydney Olympics, the imperfections of the drug-testing >systems within USATF, the American athletics federation, have been the >subject of considerable disapproval from the IAAF, the world governing >body. >There was a brief period of detente at the World Championships in Edmonton >in August but the goodwill established there, according to the IAAF, has >now >evaporated. > >The news last weekend that Inger Miller, the American sprinter, had tested >positive for caffeine has hardly eased the situation given that the test >took place in 1999 and it had taken 2.5 years for the news to become public >and any penalties to be applied. > >Yet even before the news about Miller broke, a group of American athletes >had been planning to take action of their own in order to press USATF to >improve what they view to be an inadequate system. A petition is being >circulated among a group of elite, female middle and long-distance runners >which is soon to be sent to Craig Masback, USATF's chief executive. > >The petition will request that blood and urine tests for EPO, the illegal >blood-booster, be incorporated into future national championships. The >crucial line in a polite, well-worded statement is that: "We feel that, in >the past, abuse has taken place." The action being taken by these Americans >is a small but significant step towards cleaning up the sport. They hope >that what they have started will snowball, but it is the image of athletes >battling to improve the drug-testing system - rather than benefiting from >its loopholes, as is commonly perceived - that is so important. > >The same battle is being waged by Paula Radcliffe in Europe; indeed it was >Radcliffe who inspired the Americans. "Paula started the ball rolling," >said >Jim Harvey, the coach to the American runner Amy Rudolph, who is >co-ordinating the petition. "There's always been a conspiracy of silence, >but now there has to be action. Paula was the catalyst. Very few athletes >at >the height of their profession, like she is, would have the courage to make >a stand like hers. We admire her tremendously." > >"We want to speak out," said Sarah Schwald, the 1500m runner. "I don't feel >like sweeping it all under the carpet. It's frustrating when you see >incident after incident - really odd patterns of elite performance." > >Meanwhile, Arne Ljungqvist, senior vice-president of the IAAF, is back >carrying the fight to USATF. It remains the case that there was one member >of the American track team who competed in the Sydney Olympics despite >having failed a drugs test and Ljungqvist has still not managed to squeeze >out of the USATF either the identity of the athlete or the reasons behind >this athlete's exoneration. "They simply do not respond," he said. > >Do the good relations between the American federation and the IAAF, that >were established in Edmonton, remain? "Not any more, I'm afraid," he said. >"They said in Edmonton that they wanted to talk about the future, but we >cannot establish normal relations until we have put this incident behind >us." > >Jill Geer, spokeswoman for USATF, said: "We're not aware of his having >contacted us on any particular issue since Edmonton. We have kept him >informed of our activities on the topics we discussed in Edmonton, and we >look forward to further helpful dialogue." > >Eamonn Condon >www.RunnersGoal.com > _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp
