These two statements from two of the track & Field governing bodies regarding the information implicating other athletes that came out of testimony at the Trevor Graham trial.
Lamine Diack, president of track’s international governing body, in a conference call with reporters Thursday, noted the eight-year statute of limitations on doping offenses.
Jill Geer, spokeswoman for USA Track & Field, said in a telephone interview:
The things that have been coming to light over the past several years have primarily been events that occurred four to ten years ago. Our current athletes are trying to remain focused on their present and their future.
These two statements speak volumes about why there will always be a problem. The governing bodies refuse to confront the issue. They chose to hide behind statute of limitations and legalize. As far as USA Track & Field -What happened to their zero tolerance policy? Conveniently forgotten? If there was ever was an organization that needed to clean up their house it is USA Track & Field. They are afraid to go after the drug coaches. They have ex- athletes serving on development committees who were banned for doping, what message does that send? These organizations really do not want to clean up the sport, they want the scandal to go away so they can continue to run their Roman circus freak show and keep pushing those records higher, faster and longer. The ultimate bottom line is there is too much sponsorship and TV money at stake for them to take a stand.
Discuss entry