Topic: Editorial: ‘Everybody Has the Ability to Cross the Line’

[Chris Ⓐ LeRoux]

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‘Everybody Has the Ability to Cross the Line’

It was a harsh reminder of the sometimes fatal consequences of doping in sport.

Moira Lassen was sitting at the funeral for a weightlifting coach in Montreal just last week, a man who died at the age of 42, after leading a rather aggressive lifestyle.

A former athlete of the sport system in the ’70s, ’80s and early ’90s, he was first administered performance-enhancers without his knowledge, then became aware of it afterward and continued for years until he became a coach.

While his death was not directly related to doping, Lassen said coming from that lifestyle makes it easier to choose poorly when making decisions in life.

“It was mentioned in his eulogy by his brother,” said Lassen, who is the executive director of Sport Yukon and also the secretary general of the Canadian Weightlifting Federation (CWF). “He won the Commonwealth Games as a clean athlete, then realized to go further he had to start doing things that weren’t ethical or healthy. It just opened up a whole other door. It’s what you get used to.

“That’s an Olympian we’re talking about. They’re human beings and they’re fallible. Their ups and downs are far greater than your average person.”

The scariest part about doping is what it can do not just physically, but mentally as well, Lassen added. It changes how you value yourself as a human being.

It’s a timely lesson, as doping in sport continues to make headlines across the globe in recent weeks. From the accusations swarming around Tour de France winner Floyd Landis to the positive test by track and field world record-holder Justin Gatlin, performance-enhancers are the top conversation at office water coolers.

It was only a couple of months ago when seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong faced more criticism over apparent failed drug tests. Major league baseball has had to defend itself in front of a U.S. grand jury and the National Hockey League implemented a new drug testing policy last season, one which continues to draw scrutiny.

But doping isn’t new to sport. In fact, said Lassen, the problem was around decades ago. However, it wasn’t until the 1972 Olympics and the women’s swim team from East Germany when people really began to notice it.

“That’s when things started going crazy,” stated Lassen. “And it just started evolving from there.”

So why has the issue made such a big reappearance in the past year? Is it the commitment from Dick Pound, the head of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), to stomp out the problem, or is it just because of the technology available to sporting agencies now?

Lassen said it’s perhaps a little bit of both. WADA is trying to get everyone on the same page, have every sport organization follow the same code of ethics. Sports organizations are also spending more money on drug testing, and now we’re just starting to see the results.

Despite it’s reputation in the past, weightlifting is actually one of the leaders in the fight against doping, she said. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) spends 1/3 of its annual budget on the problem.

“This year, for the Olympic qualifier, the registration fee for each person has gone up by $50 in order to support that.

“But it’s a double-edged sword. The more money you put in, the more tests you do, and the more athletes get caught.”

WADA has initiated the Athletes Whereabouts Program, where all athletes who compete internationally have to fill out a form every three months, accounting for every hour of their day, where they are and where they’ll be going.

It’s cumbersome, said Lassen, but important in the fight against doping. Once an athlete fills out the form, it goes to the national federation (for example, Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport), then the international federation and WADA.

All countries are supposed to take part in the program, but not all of them have access to the internet, so that can be a problem.

The most important element in the fight against doping remains education for the athletes. Athletes of all ages need to keep asking questions and be aware of what they’re putting in their bodies at all times, said Lassen.
While the Yukon may not be at the centre of a doping scandal, to think we’re completely exempt from the issue would be silly, she said. To think, “It won’t happen in my back yard,” is a dangerous thing.

“Pretending it doesn’t exist here isn’t the logical thing to do. The first step is getting our heads out of the sand and realizing the problem does exist.”
The reality is, doping comes in many forms, like taking six or eight ibuprofen before training so you don’t feel the pain. People don’t just wake up one morning and suddenly decide to take steroids, pointed out Lassen. There are definitely steps and gateways.

“Everybody has the ability to cross the line – every coach, every athlete and every parent. They’re human.

“We need to continue talking about what ethics is in sport.”

Especially since the idea of what’s ethical is constantly evolving. Lassen spoke of an article found in the Sport Yukon archives from 1963, when hypnosis and visualizing were considered performance-enhancers. Now, just about every athlete and coach in the world takes part in visualization exercises and would promote them, she pointed out.

“Oxygen tents are a huge discussion right now. Is that ethical? The line always shifts with trends and values, and what society sees as acceptable behaviors.”

Sport is just a “cookie-cutter” of society, added Lassen. A lot of athletes are driven by society’s need to win at all costs, and quickly. In some countries and to some athletes and coaches, doping is seen as acceptable if that’s what it takes to get success and money.

Drugs in sport in Canada are not systemic, she said, but at the same time, Canadian sports organizations only get money from the federal government if they perform well.

“So to get there ... maybe the carrot’s too big.”

Which is why Lassen is adamant society shouldn’t judge too harshly those people who do make the mistake of doping. She pointed out that those who crossed that line as an athlete during the ’70s and ’80’s can make some of the best coaches now.

As long as they realize what they did was wrong and have stopped doing it, they can often “see it coming down the line” with today’s athletes before it gets too out of hand, she said, and help them get healthy.
“It’s important not to write them off. They can still be great human beings.”