The IOC doesn't screw around

Hey UCI/FIS, this is how doping should be dealt with. From the IOC:

You have to imagine athletes living in apartments during the Games surrounded by blood bags and syringes. All these devices...this means it is almost impossible that these athletes did not know what was happening.

"If you live in a room with another athlete, or eat together, drink together, you can draw the conclusion that these athletes knew from each other what was happening and were even collaborating.

"This required a severe sanction because behaving in such a way shows a kind of mentality which the commission did not deem to be acceptable for people in the Olympic Games.


Basically 6 Austrian guys got caught at Torino with blood transfusion equipment and the IOC banned them from the Olympics for life. I can't say I have a problem with this... not much question that they were blood doping. What's that you say? You can't prove they all were doping?

The IOC doesn't really care... apparently they will ban you for life if hang out with dopers and don't turn them in.

I'm trying really hard, as an American, to think of this as some kind of violation of their rights, like they should be innocent until proven guilty or something. But I can't do it. They're all guilty of conspiracy to commit doping even if you can't prove they did it. So the penalty for the crime is a lifetime ban -- I've got no problem with that.

Will be interesting to see what FIS does with them next year.

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