1. Can anyone on this list tell me they believe every member of the US
team
sent to 2000 Olympics was drug free (deliberate or otherwise)?
I highly doubt it. I equally doubt that every member of the Australian or
British or German or Russian (or a dozen others) were drug free. But this
is totally irrelevent to the relatively narrow issue at hand.
2. Can anyone tell me they don't believe it would be in USATF's interest
to protect stars caught out in tests?
Of course - that's one reason why USATF no longer conducts test. USATF
needs to be an advocate for athletes up until the time that U.S. law allows
them to be found guilty. It's certainly possible that USATF is only
withholding the name of the athlete who was exonerated because he/she is a
star, or even that USATF improperly exonerated a star. But I have not seen
one shred of evidence to suggest either way. It is a good question to ask,
but I for one do NOT want USATF to release the information because it is
protected information. I'd ask this - if the IOC really believes that there
are no legal barriers to USATF releasing the information, I'd encourage them
to use the U.S. legal system to get result. That's what other international
corporations have to do when faced with similar issues. Or, if they are big
enough, they get the EU or some other governmental organization to negotiate
with the U.S. government about it. But doing either one is difficult, plus,
despite his statements to the contrary, I'm sure Pound knows he wouldn't get
to square one with the U.S. courts or government.
And as I've said before, the IOC should put up or shut up. It's no sense
constantly bashing USATF when they have made their position clear (and they
have gotten out of the loop). It's a waste of time and does no one any
good. If the IOC/IAAF think USATF is violating the rules and will not
change, they need to take action instead of whining.
3. Can anyone tell me the IOC doesn't have grounds to be frustrated with
USATF's actions if it is the case that they have acted to protect these
stars?
Of course, they have grounds to be frustrated because they don't know what
USATF has been doing and USATF is violating their rules. That s the crux of
the issue. But instead of addressing the issue through negotiation and
compromise, they've done it through the media and effectively said it's our
way or the highway. That's fine, but if you do that, you have to be
prepared to have your bluff called. So expel USATF. Show some spine for
God's sake. All this pussyfooting around and trial by media approach is
worth less than squat. Either take action, engage in real compromise
negotiations, or be prepared to be ridiculed and laughed at by those of us
who see the impotence of the IOC and IAAF for what it is. And don't expect
USATF to respond to such pitifully weak gestures.
- Ed Parrot
