what the hell is this nonsense ????

[CW]

Raducan Loses Appeal for Gold Medal

By NANCY ARMOUR
.c The Associated Press

SYDNEY, Australia (AP) - Andreea Raducan won't get her gold medal back after arbitrators upheld a decision Thursday to disqualify the Romanian all-around gymnastics champion for taking cold medicine

The presence of a banned substance constitutes an offense ``irrespective of whether or not the competitor intended to ingest the prohibited substance,'' the court ruled.

``A strict liability test must thus be applied, the consequence being automatic disqualification as a matter of law and in fairness to other athletes,'' it said.

So, it would seem that even if you follow the guidelines and rules, in this case it was getting the medication from the team doctor and NOT purchasing the product herself, then you are screwed ( without a smile or thank you no less )

This young lady was stripped of her medal, a lifetime loss. The team doctor is only barred from being a part of the olympics until after the 2004 event,,,

Is this lopsided or what ??!!??

If there is to be silliness of this order, then why not take back the silver medals that the Russian gymnasts couldn't wait to rip from their necks, and pass them along to someone who could deal with the fact that they were beaten ( at least while in public )?

As much as I love the olympics, I have to say that this sucks in both cases. Big time !!

 

[lala]

i have to agree,... especially in reference to the russian women. they need to spend some time with the slowest swimmer this year- about what it means to compete,... to win, every other thread i've answered tonight has restored another part of my faith in humanity- this one, well, it tested it,... i wish it wasn't so,... ah well, on to happier things, right? i have to,... no sense in festering,...

 

[Myrrdin]

She was banned for taking a substance which is banned under IOC laws, its simple. Cough mixtures among other things contain a chemical stimulant, which would have given her an advantage over other competitors.
If there was a loophole, allowing you to take banned substances, because you were ill. Every competitor would be clutching a sick note, claiming they needed their steroids or growth promoter for medicinal reasons not for sporting gain.
Many athletes are competing carrying injuries, strains and knocks. Its part of their life. A common cold should not be treated any differently.
Incidently does any one else feel uneasy about girls that young competing. They are so young. Rumour has it that some are given hormones to delay the onset of puberty to prolong their sporting life. Would a minimum age help ensure that competitors were old enough to think for themselves and not be manipulated by team doctors and coaches, just for national gain?

If you're loking for nonsense, one of the British swimmers was given a "severe ticking off" by the British Olympic Association and banned from the Olympic village.
His crime? He wore the wrong sponsors swimsuit while competing.
Oh tut, oh dear.

 

[Sammyjo]

I just wanted to voice my agreement with Myrrdin.

You see, if a substance is banned, it can not be used under any circumstances. There are plenty of cold meds that DO NOT have the banned substances in them. That is why she was stripped of her medal. Had she taken something that didn't have a banned substance in it, she would have been fine.

It's a known fact that NHL players (and probably other sports players as well) down 5 or 6 Sudafed right before a game. It is a stimulant. It makes them go harder, faster, and meaner. Do you honestly think that some of them could go a whole game on the ice without something to keep them going?

In my opinion, they did the right thing. No excuses, no regrets, etc. The coaches know what is banned and what is not, and they need to make damn sure that they aren't giving someone something that is banned, or they may live to regret it.

 

[Sonora]

I have to agree with Myrrdin and Sammyjo. It's too bad that the doc. didn't know what he was doing. Unfortunately the drug that he gave her is allowed by the Gym. Fed., but banned by the IOC. That's where the problem is. If the IOC bans it, the federations should ban it too. The good thing is that the Romanian gov has said that htey will compensate her for it. What that compasation is, I haven't heard. The doc will probably never see the Olympics again!

Myrrdin, there is an age limit. They have turn 16 by the end of the year. The alternate for the US (from Vegas, can't think of her name) was born 6 week early and that's the only way she was able to compete. If she had been born on time (mid January) she would have had to wait til Greece to compete.

 

[Patryn]

You seem to be missing the finer points here. It was fucking Sudafed!!! And I know for a fact that there really aren't too many cold medications without it. When I need to take a cold pill, it's usually before bed, and I can't take pseudoephedrine before bed because it keeps me awake. It's in just about everything.

Why is it banned? That's what I want to know. Ephedrine is a bronchodialator, as far as I know, pseudoephedrine is just a decongestant.

 

[Sonora]

It is a bronchodialator. But as you said it keeps you awake, it acts as a stimulant. That's why it was banned.

Actually, it's been found (by the E. Germans) that gymnasts were one group of athletes that received no benefit from taking most banned substances. For ex. steroids. They found that it made their muscles stronger, but more rigid.

 

[Always]

that is just BULLSHIT!!

how can they do that?!?!?

 

[Patryn]

that is just BULLSHIT!!

Um....yeah. That was pretty much the point of this thread, now wasn't it?