Time and time again it has been shown that catching those who use performance enhancing drugs and techniques is more down to luck than judgement.
The recent Lance Armstrong case was only successful due to evidence provided by his team mates.
Over the years he has been subject to numerous accusations and tests yet nothing was ever proven.
Without the cooperation of his team mates with the authorities, he would have got away with it.
The drug users are usually one step ahead of those who are tasked with catching them as first a drug or technique must be known before an adequate test can be devised.
Having been involved with sport for most of my life, even rank amateurs are at it - I know of many individuals who routinely took steroids and other drugs.
We can only imagine how many current and former sports people have achieved their results via doping and other illegal methods.
Which more or less makes every record in every sport suspect.
So, should they just be permitted and considered to be another means to an end?
Of course the counter argument is that not everyone can afford drugs and blood replacement therapy. But then neither can everyone afford equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds, dedicated trainers and teams, trips abroad for months at a time to train at high altitude, etc.
In my opinion, drug taking and methods to improve performance are never going to stop; if anything they are going to get more sophisticated.
I read recently that the latest technique is hormone related, for which there is no test currently and it's doubtful there ever will be.
How many of the richest sportsmen are currently availing themselves of that technique, who will forever go undetected?
The recent Lance Armstrong case was only successful due to evidence provided by his team mates.
Over the years he has been subject to numerous accusations and tests yet nothing was ever proven.
Without the cooperation of his team mates with the authorities, he would have got away with it.
The drug users are usually one step ahead of those who are tasked with catching them as first a drug or technique must be known before an adequate test can be devised.
Having been involved with sport for most of my life, even rank amateurs are at it - I know of many individuals who routinely took steroids and other drugs.
We can only imagine how many current and former sports people have achieved their results via doping and other illegal methods.
Which more or less makes every record in every sport suspect.
So, should they just be permitted and considered to be another means to an end?
Of course the counter argument is that not everyone can afford drugs and blood replacement therapy. But then neither can everyone afford equipment worth tens of thousands of pounds, dedicated trainers and teams, trips abroad for months at a time to train at high altitude, etc.
In my opinion, drug taking and methods to improve performance are never going to stop; if anything they are going to get more sophisticated.
I read recently that the latest technique is hormone related, for which there is no test currently and it's doubtful there ever will be.
How many of the richest sportsmen are currently availing themselves of that technique, who will forever go undetected?