In this corner: Dick Pound, outgoing WADA President.
In the opposite corner: Juan Antionio Samaranch, clueless-about-drugs-in-sport ex-IOC President.
It was no-contest: Pound won this one.
He's accusing Juan Antonio in an article in yesterday's Daily Telegraph about being clueless about drugs in sport, citing the Marion Jones case, which as a result has put a black mark on the IOC and world opinion of the IOC not being taken seriously about this issue.
Juan Antonio's solution to the drugs problem: ignore it and it will go away.
Thank goodness Richard has laid it on the line this time with him. Too bad old Juan didn't take the bull by the horns when this problem first started...maybe today we wouldn't be dealing with Marion Jones, the issues of who her medals go to and what to do with her teammates medals.
This is an issue that has the potential to destroy the IOC. Most of us have known friends or co-workers who have had problems with drugs at some point in their lives. Or had friends-of-friends who went to rehab. Or were arrested and spent some time in jail. Those are the cases you don't hear about. But when it is on an international scale, the problem is amplified and there is closer scrutiny. All the more reason to get it taken care of now.
I've got a solution: throw JAS out of the IOC, and replace him with someone who cares. We all thought in 2001 at Moscow he would stay retired and the issues that have plagued the IOC during his tenue would finally be dealt with. Fat chance. He's still there.
And until Samaranch's interference stops, Richard is going to have a huge challenge on his hands, as those of us who's job it is to highlight the issues that come with drugs and how they relate to the Olympics.
Let's make Richard's job easier.
Crescendo, anyone?
