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For a country with only twenty million people we don't do too badly....

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
The IAAF and WADA do most of the testing. Unlike the US and UK so it'd be far more difficult to hide a positive test.
If Bolt is on substances then I doubt he is the only one. Im certainly not accusing him of anything.

However, the testing system in Jamaica has been very poor during the offseason and there has not been any domestic testing program.

I would agree though that if caught, it would be harder to hide a positive. On the other hand it would be harder to get caught.

A strange situation.
 
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GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
I'd be devastated if Bolt was a drugs cheat. I guess many people were when Ben Johnson turned out to be one
 

roseboy64

Cricket Web Content Updater
If Bolt is on substances then I doubt he is the only one. Im certainly not accusing him of anything.

However, the testing system in Jamaica has been very poor during the offseason and there has not been any domestic testing program.

I would agree though that if caught, it would be harder to hide a positive. On the other hand it would be harder to get caught.

A strange situation.
He'd have to have been on them when he was 15 and running phenomenal times. Someone from the rural area and from a school that he went to wouldn't be able to do that stuff.

How has the system been poor? All or most athletes get tested in competition from high school to the top level. Also, most of the top athletes get tested regularly by the IAAF and WADA. Powell was tested pretty much every week or so when he was breaking his world records and not by Jamaicans either.

There's a program and policy, there just isn't a high-class doping lab. Not exactly priority in a country with other pressing concerns and when the highest authority in the sport does the testing for you.
 

Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
He'd have to have been on them when he was 15 and running phenomenal times. Someone from the rural area and from a school that he went to wouldn't be able to do that stuff.

How has the system been poor? All or most athletes get tested in competition from high school to the top level. Also, most of the top athletes get tested regularly by the IAAF and WADA. Powell was tested pretty much every week or so when he was breaking his world records and not by Jamaicans either.

There's a program and policy, there just isn't a high-class doping lab. Not exactly priority in a country with other pressing concerns and when the highest authority in the sport does the testing for you.
Thats the point though. The off season testing schedule has not been as rigorous as elsewhere and that is when athletes use the stuff.

In competition testing is pretty useless and catches only a few very obvious cases.

Im not saying Bolt has taken anything. Just that it wouldnt suprise me if he had (as I wouldnt be suprised if anyone was taking stuff) and, that from the reports Ive read, with training in Jamaica it would be more difficult to catch as there was no real off-season drug testing program.

For the sake of this argument the points are unrelated. Im not accusing an Jamaican athlete of taking anything. However, if they had, the system was poorly setup to catch it.
 

Magrat Garlick

Global Moderator
Tried to find some links on these claims. According to the IAAF, Bolt's been tested 13 times this year, 6 of which were out-of-competition.

That's a decent number. Apologies, Xavier - clearly I have been taking the claims of "no anti-doping agency" at face value - it doesn't seem likelier that he's doped than all the others.
 
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Goughy

Hall of Fame Member
Tried to find some links on these claims. According to the IAAF, Bolt's been tested 13 times this year, 6 of which were out-of-competition.

That's a decent number. Apologies, Xavier - clearly I have been taking the claims of "no anti-doping agency" at face value - it doesn't seem likelier that he's doped than all the others.
Did you look?

Here is one that refers to it.

He said there was no routine off-season testing from October to January, when cheating athletes use steroids in combination with intensive weight training. Testing at major competitions and between grand prix meetings was ineffective.
As Ive said, I dont suggest any Jamaican took any think untoward. My point is that Jamaica has had possible holes in its testing.

2 seperate issues.
 

Magrat Garlick

Global Moderator
As Ive said, I dont suggest any Jamaican took any think untoward. My point is that Jamaica has had possible holes in its testing.

2 seperate issues.
Was actually referring to my own comments which have been a tad suggestive.

Nevertheless: the source you link to is in jail ffs. Leaving aside him being bitter about being caught, there's the side issue of how the hell he, sitting in the US, would know what the WADA/IAAF-program is up to in Jamaica.
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Vaguely related to the thread title, here's a countdown of which countries won the most medals per capita.
They should do one for golds per capita as well IMO, also the anecdote at the end about how USSR would have got 34633 medals is obviously not true as they would have been capped on the number of athletes they could have :ph34r:
 

Johnners

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Best indication of who topped the medal tally should come from a Medals per event entered ratio imo.
 

Magrat Garlick

Global Moderator
Best indication of who topped the medal tally should come from a Medals per event entered ratio imo.
That would just favour countries who don't select athletes with no hope, despite them being qualified (I know Sweden have such a policy and Norway have it in theory)
 

Johnners

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Was talking about having no hope. Still think it would be the fairest way though, despite that particular issue[/stubborn]
 

GIMH

Norwood's on Fire
Nah, because in some sports there are qualification standards (I think) and so countries that just have **** athletes in those would benefit (ie basically what Hakon said but with enforced policy as to picky selection)
 

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