Topic: News: Halil Mutlu Tests Positive For Steroids

[Steve Gough]

The theorhetical  example you cited earlier, ie "someone spiked my drink, blah, blah, blah" begs me to relate a story I heard recently that should be told, but scares me to tell it.

It goes something like this... In a fairly recent Olympic Games an American lifter during the run-up to the Games was constantly telling the news media of how he was forced to compete against foreign competitors who were "juiced" (my words). Prior to competition a very high IWF official warned a very high American coach that if he did not silence his lifter's tongue then he, the lifter, might turn up a positive himself.

Sound like a threat? Could such manipulation be possible? All food for thought when contemplating the enormity of the Olympic Games.

[Mike Wittmer]

"It goes something like this... In a fairly recent Olympic Games an American lifter during the run-up to the Games was constantly telling the news media of how he was forced to compete against foreign competitors who were "juiced" (my words). Prior to competition a very high IWF official warned a very high American coach that if he did not silence his lifter's tongue then he, the lifter, might turn up a positive himself."

I remember that, Mark Henry on NBC.  I heard about the threat too.  Random, no advance notice testing is the only way to enforce the drug policy.

[JOHN BROZ]

The doping control is more than that!  It is a way to control the amount of winners in a specific weight class/or even sport!  Lets say for example the US wins every weight class men and women.  Why would other countries want to try to compete?  Who would little kids look up to as idols in their country?  It is about control!  With strict, definite testing there is no way to control the "business".  It is about $$ with some people, just the cash!  If every country wins 1 weight class the "business" spreads to more countries - this means more lifters = more $$!  more cities to bid, $$$$ etc.!

[Rhys Lucero]

I think the IWF will never institute international random out of competition drug testing that works.  Drug testing is expensive, yet at the same time lucrative.  The IWF allows countries to buy back the rights to compete even if their lifters have been popped. This may be a significant source of funding for the IWF.  At the same time, the organizational expense of an international random out of contest drug testing policy alone would be staggeringly expensive.  The IWF cannot allow the cost of testing to outweigh the benefit of popping.

[steve zeigman]

Perhaps the athletes themselves should be allowed to buy back their eligibility

[Rhys Lucero]

I believe that an athlete buy back policy would be a mistake.  True, it would increase the monetary income to the IWF; increase the potential funding for testing or other purposes; and it could potentially increase the price countries have to pay to "unsuspend" all the athletes that have been popped.  But it would also increase the risks that athletes were willing to take to win.  They, and their country, would know that they wouldn't be suspended if caught.  It would lead to a situation where athletes would look at getting caught as an occupational hazard.  This is a mistake.
 
I think that the IWF should charge countries to buy back the right to enter competitions if the have too many positives in one quadrennium.  But to help fix the drug problem, athletes should be banned for life on their first pop.  Of course, this would mean that the banned drug list might need revision, but this makes sense because cheating with certain drugs is not a rash decision, but a long term choice.  If the IWF can truly claim that those popped are "absolutely" cheaters, they should be banned for life, because they are ruing the sport and costing the IWF money.

[Pete_Stewart]

Sorry I was going back through the forum reading posts and this thread I found interesting so thought I would reply.

I think it is quite demoralizing for lifters in major competitions to go out and compete and know that a lot (if not all) of the top lifters are on some sort of gear.  

I agree with the comments on here about random drug testing.  I don't think it should be entirely random as my opinion is if training well doping would cause an increase in lifting and therefore there would be a higher percentage of lifters in the top rankings being on drugs.  So I agree the top lifters should be tested more often on a random basis.  Maybe have 2/3 of all tests performed randomly on lifters in top 50 of IWF ranking lists for example.

I think it would be advantageous if all associations paid a 'doping subscription' at the start of each year.  The amount would depend on the number of lifters the association has and if the association does not pay then none of their lifters can compete in international competition.  This may help to fund the dope tests.  I also agree that as a preventative measure the bans should be longer for first time offenders and possibly life long bans to international compeitions needs to be considered.

I read an interesting article 1-2 years ago which was an interview of the head of one of the drug testing labs.  He said there were many samples they processed that had unusual spikes when analyszed and he put this down to doping using unknown compounds.  The world of testing is always one step behind the dopers and until finances can also be put into

Finally I also think samples from lifters winning major championships should be stored for longer and if possible tested when these new compounds are discovered (such as THG in althletics).  If found positive they should be stripped of thier medals.  I always find it amusing when people try to come out with ludicrous explanations as to why these compounds have managed to get into their body.  One current example is the discovery that four British lifters were found to have elevate human growth hormone levels.  Unlikely coincidence.  I am also highly dubious of the 77kg lifter from Nauru and his recent progress (looking at records on IWF) and also Don's statement he is doing a 280kg back squat.

[GabrielNagy]

I agree with the stored (freezes) samples. Another case is Armstrongs 1999 sample - EPO. But in other hand we all known that the second best (in this case Alex Zulle) and the bronze medailist (Fernando Escartin I think) were also in juice. I think there arent clean rider on Tour. There are only riders - pass the tests. The same in other sports.

Nobody could snatch over 200kg without juice...nobody could run 100m under 10sec. without drugs...etc... All of the best standards on every kind of sports are pumped on with drugs. When somebody tells other...then he lies. :evil:  :evil:  :evil:

Pete in my opinion a person around 80kg could squat max around 200, maybe some genetically freaks and with all legal supplements (creatin etc.) up to around 240kg (3times his BW) but Im doubtfull.

The real world is a not clean world...but I hope in a bit better future.