newjerseynewsroom.com

BY EVAN WEINER

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

THE BUSINESS AND POLITICS OF SPORTS

And so the Lance Armstrong did he or didn't he use performance enhancing drugs during his Tour de France race days continue. The World Anti-Doping Agency wants the United States Anti-Doping Agency to conduct an investigation into the allegations that Armstrong did something while the International Cycling Union wants a shot at Armstrong and some of his cycling teammates.

WADA and the USADA are going after Armstrong even though the United States Attorney's office investigation  ended in February after a two-year probe. But these quasi-public agencies want to keep the investigation going for some reason. 

Just why does the World Anti-Doping Agency or the United States Anti-Doping Agency exist? How is a group like WADA funded? The World Anti-Doping Agency is an arm of the International Olympic Committee and that group funds half of the money WADA needs to operate. Who pays for the other 50 percent? Individual governments through taxpayers’ money. 

The USADA, which Congress recognized in 2001, is funded by American tax dollars through a grant from the Office of National Drug Control yet the agency, not the government, sets up drug enforcement guidelines. The United States Olympic Committee also throws money into the USADA.

WADA wants to make sure that athletes are not using banned substances and that sporting events are bona fide events. But if an athlete is caught, he or she is banned from competition but not subject to criminal prosecution. So why are taxpayers worldwide funding this group, a group that wants athletes available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for drug testing?

It is funny how certain politicians running for office in the United States that are calling for smaller government, less government intrusion and cutting taxes never talk about sports spending. WADA is a pseudo-governmental worldwide agency that seems to be in existence just to protect the brand of sports. WADA functions because of the UNESCO International Convention against Doping in Sport. The United Nation's cover allows nations to sign into an agreement with WADA.

WADA runs roughshod over sports as the moral arbitrator in all things banned substance. Moral is the key phrase as the group doesn't see anything illegal in banned drug use. Doping is just cheating.

In 2010, John Fahey, the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency, demanded that Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association knuckle under to him and his merry band of urine collectors and apparently now blood test takers and get serious about cleansing the sport of "cheaters." Fahey wanted Major League Baseball to start taking blood samples in addition to urine samples of individual players to see if they were using human growth hormone.

Apparently Fahey thinks that players should just give blood and is presuming that all the players are using HGH until proven otherwise. There is a presumption of guilt by the WADA guys and they are absolutely correct in their approach. 

Just ask them.

Fahey and his group, who trample over individual rights in their quest to clean sports, say there is a valid blood test for HGH because a British rugby player, Terry Newton, tested positive after giving blood. The odd thing about Fahey blasting Major League Baseball in 2010 was that International Olympic Committee delegates have exiled the sport to Elba; well maybe not Elba as Major League Baseball has moved on and started a global competition, the World Baseball Classic.