The Lance Armstrong doping scandal continues to rock the world of cycling. Like many others, I have no time for doping in sport of any kind.
The ramifications and the impacts from doping are far wider than the rider that is stripped of his title or stage win for taking performance enhancing drugs.
Let’s look at the Armstrong case. He has lost his titles and may be forced to pay back his winnings.
But to whom? The UCI has stated that the titles will not be re-allocated.
Cycling, like all sports, could not exist if not for its fans. Without the fans lined 10 deep on Monte Zoncolan or Alpe d’Huez, the sport would be a shadow of itself.
Yet is the fans who are deceived by this immoral behaviour of doping. But at the end of the stage, we take our paint rollers, our campervan and we head back home to our everyday jobs.
The same cannot be said for professional riders. The next win can mean the difference between a new contract, riding for a pro-continental team instead of a World Tour team or retiring from a sport that they have dedicated their whole life to.
To be frank, the livelihood of the riders in the peloton is affected by doping.
Winning a stage in a grand tour, and particularly the Tour de France, can lead to rich rewards. But there are now seven riders that have suffered significant financial damage due to the mass doping program of US Postal.
Armstrong won 22 stages in the Tour de France. How many clean riders could have won a stage at the Tour de France if it was not for the doping program at US Postal? Aside from the limelight and career recognition, how many riders have suffered financially because of US Postal’s dubious practices?
Former professional cyclist Brad McGee’s article in The Age emphasises the other side of the doping story – how clean riders are affected by doping.
If you defraud the Commonwealth Government or commit commercial fraud, you are likely to receive a criminal record and be fined at the very least. Depending on the extent of the crime, there is the strong possibility that it will also lead to a custodial sentence.
Therefore, why should sports administrators and fans tolerate athletes that take performance enhancing drugs to get an unfair advantage? Surely, this behaviour is akin to defrauding your fellow riders from an income, a livelihood and long-term financial security.
Isn’t this the same as someone who obtains a financial advantage through fraudulent means?
So why do not we make doping a criminal offence?
McGee said that doping will never be eradicated.
If we continue to treat our athletes with a slap on the wrist and then welcome them back into the peloton with open arms after a doping sanction, McGee will be proved right and we will never rid the world of this doping.
ASO was happy to have Alberto Contador at the presentation of the route for the 2013 Tour de France when it celebrates its 100th anniversary. Did the organisers forget that Contador did not participate at the 2012 Tour de France because of a doping sanction?
A lot is at stake in professional sport and the decisions made by individuals aren’t always morally watertight. If the financial rewards are greater than the penalty, the temptation to break the rules becomes a real threat.
The authorities need to re-assess the incentives to break the rules.
The greatest disincentive to doping is to remove the ability to be financially rewarded.
To be taken from their loved ones and society.
This can only be achieved by making doping a criminal offence, with a provision for incarceration if found guilty.
Rethinking the punishment is the only way to truly eradicate doping. One that removes the strong incentive to get an unfair advantage.
Ned Netterville
Guest
Good point, Neuen. And steroids, which are used by physicians to treat innumerable ailments would be illegal too? Calling on the government to criminalize doping in professional cycling is like using your AK=47 to eliminate the housefly that threatens to land in you soup.. The people who run the events (UCI, TDF, etc.) have all the authority and technology to put an end to illegal doping if they ever decide that the damage to the sport from doping is greater than the cost of ensuring doping does not occur. Bringing the government in will make the solution worse than the problem.
Neuen
Roar Rookie
So Blood transfusions would also be deemed illegal then?
liquorbox_
Roar Rookie
"Cycling, like all sports, could not exist if not for its fans. Without the fans lined 10 deep on Monte Zoncolan or Alpe d’Huez, the sport would be a shadow of itself. " I would as a fan prefer to see a juiced up Pantani, Armstrong and Virenque racing each other up Alpe D'Huez than watch Team SKY control a race and sprint for the last 200m to try to win. If it is not sub 40 minutes then it is not up to scratch Look on youtube for clips of Pantani at the TDF, it is commentated by Phil Liggett and is awesome! I dont want to see drug users, but I want to see their style of racing. This is the dilema.
mushi
Roar Guru
The prospect of getting caught clearly isn't already a deterrent, choosing to ignore that is a fatal flaw in your hastily constructed and ultimately socially destabilising. There is also a very strong argument that incarceration itself doesn't actually act as that much of a deterrent for crime to begin with and increases the chance of becoming a more serious criminals – so effectively you are trying to set up a program by which to make drug cheats into more serious criminals brilliantly thought out I love it. Where can I sign up for the destruction of our society?
Andy_Roo
Roar Guru
I agree completely with Alistair. Doping needs to be penalised and penalised harshly. Governments around the world make an enormous amount of money from hosting major sporting events. The French people and the French Government make millions, perhaps even billions of dollars from the tourist money that flows from the Tour de France. So if the people and the country benefit then the Government which acts on behalf of its people should bear the costs of upholding the law and punishing criminals. Imprisonment and lifetime bans (even for first or minor offences) are the solution.
joeb
Guest
"Rethinking the punishment is the only way to truly eradicate doping. One that removes the strong incentive to get an unfair advantage." A stint in Guantanamo for each drug cheating incident should do it. Interesting interview with the voice of cycling, Phil Liggett: http://www.sbs.com.au/cyclingcentral/video/2297593634/Exclusive:-Phil-Liggett
Ned Netterville
Guest
I should have added, "I don't believe doping should be illegal, nor that government should be involved in any aspect of sports. I'd just like to witness public corruption exposed.
Ned Netterville
Guest
Four months before the U.S. doping agency announced its charges against Armstrong, an Obama district attorney declined to prosecute Armstrong criminally. Presumably, most of the evidence adduced by the doping agency was available to the feds. Lance has friends in high places. He has ridden with George Bush at the latter's ranch. Does he contribute to the Obama's campaign? I've been asking such questions for some time. It's good to see some timid journalists finally taking notice.
Dianne Andrews
Guest
The athlete is often on the bottom of the pack in the whole doping senario. Need to target the medics, trainers, managers etc. who all seem to be one step ahead of anti-doping authorities.
Swampy
Guest
In France, as in many countries, you can be imprisoned for being a doping cheat. A lot of the PEDs involved are illegal, particularly to import from one country to another. The detection agencies are already doing the policing so there is not much for the regular police to do other than file official charges - not a huge additional expense. -- Comment left via The Roar's iPhone app. Download it now [http://itunes.apple.com/au/app/the-roar/id327174726?mt=8].
Alistair Nitz
Roar Rookie
I disagree. Governments around the world put a lot of resources into anti-doping activities. Last year, the Government appropriation for Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority was $11.5 million. Law enforcement agencies and Customs already monitor the importation of illegal drugs and steroids. The law enforcement activities and prosecutor would only be involved after a positive test was recorded. The costs would therefore would not be huge.
Alistair Nitz
Roar Rookie
The current penalties have not worked to prevent doping in cycling. The risks and rewards from doping are pushing athletes down this pathway. We need to change the incentive profile. Taking away your freedom and liberties will change the dynamics and possibility the decide to dope.
redsnut
Guest
Proven dope cheats should be banned from all and any involvement in all sports for life. Amateur as well as professional.
Brian
Guest
On the flipside if you bring in criminal offences why would a Schumacher ever return to F1 or a Del Pierro come to Sydney FC. I think you have to be careful, you need to attach a higher burden of proof, you need to make it clear prior to the event and you need to carefully arrange jurisdictional especially in an International sport like Cycling. Nonetheless I agree, if you can go to jail for insider trading why not doping. Millions of people have wasted their time (and therefore money) and have essentially being defrauded. Wasn't Cronje or Azharuddin facing time in jail for match fixing? More recently a Chinese soccer player was jailed for 10 years for taking bribes. So if it applies to gambling why not doping.
aussie sports lover
Guest
It's one thing to investigate and gather evidence for the crime - unless the penalty is financial or expulsion from the sport, there's not enough money to put them in jail, i would have thought. I don;t think there is enough spare money in cycling - after all, they needed donation from lance.
jameswm
Guest
Don't spend money invesitgating doping as other crimes are more important? Maybe, but how about a special crime unit for this is set up, funded largely by the spare money in cycling? Problem with that is the internationa jurisdiction - which country prosecutes? Can one be done in Europe and one in the USA? Considering the money involved, if chasing corporates is OK, then so is chasing dopers.
justin
Guest
It should be treated with more of a legal hand. The drugs are controlled products. If you don't have a script, get taken thru the legal system.
Moses
Roar Rookie
Yes, lost in this article is any kind of perspective about priorities for law enforcement agencies and the spending of taxpayers’ money. This is one problem that we should not expect governments to fix.
aussie sports lover
Guest
Agree with doozel. It costs taxpayers lots of money - not sure if there's anything else that can really be done to eradicate doping.
doozel
Guest
Just what we need another reason to put more people in over crowded jails! It is sport, everyone needs to get a grip. Why do you think there us so many people in jail in the first place? It is only a deterrent if you think you are going to get caught.