BONGS COOL; EPO BAD

We cannot expect people to have respect for law and order until we teach respect to those we have entrusted to enforce those laws.

Hunter S. Thompson


In this new era of sports coverage, where the latest drug scandal receives as much attention as championship series', no fight seems to loom larger, in my eyes, than the one between Lance Armstrong and WADA, and specifically, Dick Pound.

In 2005, French newspapers L'Equipe reported that Armstrong's frozen urine samples, provided during the 1999 tour, were re-tested and came back positive for EPO.
In May 2006, a commission appointed by the International Cycling Union exonerated Armstrong, and accused WADA and the lab that conducted the tests o fmisconduct. The commission further recommended that a tribunal be convened to discuss potential legal and ethical violations by WADA and to consider "appropriate sanctions to remedy the violations."

On Monday, Lance Armstrong released a letter that he had written to the International Olympic Committee, calling for Pound's dismissal, which the IOC can authorize. While I think this step is highly unlikley, it has been reported that IOC members will discuss the letter and Pound's actions at their upcoming executive meetings.

Adding their voice to the growing critics of Pound, was the National Hockey League. Perhaps in retaliation to Pound's baseless accusation that two-thirds of NHLers used performance enhancing drugs, National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly stated

We fully support Mr. Armstrong's plea to have the IOC hold Mr. Pound accountable for his past actions, and laud Mr. Armstrong's willingness to stand up for the rights of all of the innocent athletes who have been wrongly and unfairly
disparaged by Mr. Pound.

In his defense, Pound released a statement, where he stands by his complete rejection of the report that exonerates Armstrong, claiming that Armstrong has "too much time on his hands" since retiring from competitive cycling.

While I don't know who has taken performance-enhancing drugs and who is currently taking them, and make no mistake, there are athletes right now taking performance enhancing drugs, Pound's witch-hunt seems a bit stretched.

Being labelled a drug user in sports is akin to being labelled a pedophile in mainstream society -- it is not something that can be shaken (just ask a-never-been-proven-guilty-only-stupid Barry Bonds). And Pound's blind accusations and criticisms may reveal drug users and suppliers, but for those who are accused but ultimately innocent, there is no escaping that type-cast.

Ultimately, it often seems that Dick Pound wil lnot be content until he catches a really big fish. In this sense, he is not after the good of sport, nor ethics, but for making a name and a legacy for himself. In this light, more sports should get behind calls for his dismissal, and an overhaul of WADA.