drugs in sport

obviously the Cousins and Hawthorn (though we are not suppoded to know it was Hawthorn) drug issues have rasied a lot of debate about drugs in sport.

I do not believe many sport codes especailly the AFL are all that serious about drugs in sport. They make all the right noises but end of the day sport is about winning and winning in todays sport equates to dollars,

Under the AFL drug policy players over the last 3 years have been tested on average once every 12 - 18 months - PATHETIC

A player could go on a full blown course of roids for 8 weeks and 2 weeks after that produce a clean result. What hope in hell have they got of catching players using recreational drugs on a casual basis.

30 the odd players that have been caught must have had either a massive drug problem or extremely unlucky.

In the mid to late 80s I was working in health clubs and training with some WAFL players, 4 in fact. They all told similar stories of ephedrine a drug similar to amphetamine and methamphetamine being hand around by the coaching staff in the change rooms before a game.

Another time a young guy who was about 14 at the time who was competing in national cycling events and being coached by national coaches asked me about steroids and taking them.

He had been told by his coach that he was good but if he wanted to be great at his sport he would have to start taking drugs.

Both these sporting organisations at the time would have made all the right noises about being anti drugs.

I still prefer to think most top sports people have achieved what they have without drugs, but I also suspect a lot have not.