Cerodopaje is Spanish for zero doping
This is a blog which is passionate about eliminating drugs from sport, and that sport should be clean.
We publish news and views on the current battles against doping ,
and I would welcome autority contributions and reasoned views on some of the issues involved.
Sensible decisions on the future of sport can only arise from reasoned debate.
The battle against drugs in sport has been a long and difficult journey, not least because it begs the question “what is a drug?” – if the human system manufactures it, is it a drug if taken additionally.
The abuse of drugs escalated with the apparent acceptance of the need for doping to compete at all costs in the cold war – to win at any cost it seems. Some records particularly female from that era are still difficult to beat since the drugs turned women almost into men.
Since the falling of the Berlin Wall there have been many twists and turns, as money and fame rather than national pride became the motivation for cheating.
Who will forget the pictures of Tommy Simpson the cyclist, who met
destiny on the arid slopes of Mont Ventoux, when his heart was no
longer able to cope with drug enduced artificial stimulation?
The war against drugs has victims too.
Who will forget the career of Diane Modahl, whose career was ruined at the altar of a policy whose absolute penalty was not apparently matched by absolute precision in the test laboratory – a case that left more questions than answers.
Then were fallen Idols, as one by one – some of the highest figures in sport became tarnished with drug cases, so you began to wonder who if anyone you could trust – cycling hit rock bottom in a series of go slows in the tour de france.
As a passionate watcher of cycling, I felt badly let down by the likes of David Millar, and I felt cheated when I discovered that some of the performances were not what they seemed.
But In the authors view – the Observers should not judge the sports of cycling and athletics too harshly. At least these sports gained headlines because they were starting to catch cheats! – The same could not be said of many professional sports, which took a long time to catch up.
Zero doping – Zero tolerance. Has to be the goal.
But common sense must play a part too.
Please join in the battle for drug free sport.