Spiegel Interview with Dick Pound 'Doping Is Organized along Mafia lines'

[steroidbot]

INTERVIEW WITH FORMER ANTI-DOPING CZAR 'Doping Is Organized along ...
Spiegel Online, Germany - 14 minutes ago
SPIEGEL: How does WADA intend to deal with organized doping crime?

Pound: The doping system is organized along mafia-like lines. So what we need is close collaboration with the police and public prosecutors. Our weapons are too limited; we can only test urine and blood. Police investigators can read e-mails, tap telephones. Their arsenal is bigger than a bottle of pee. Getting the executive authorities onto our side is an arduous process, but we have recently started working with Interpol. Step by step we are moving ahead.

SPIEGEL: Should people who resort to doping be put behind bars?

Pound: In countries where that is the will of the population -- fine. There is no reason to be nice to people who cheat.

SPIEGEL: John Hoberman from the University of Texas is calling for two classes to be introduced in sports, allowing those with and without doping to compete separately among themselves. What do you think of that?

Pound: I find that unrealistic. Let me approach it from the other end: What happens if someone who uses doping competes among those who don’t dope? Then we are right back where we started. And letting the doped athletes loose against each other would mean deregulating doping. That’s dangerous, because the athletes would push each other further and further so as to gain an advantage. People have the habit of exploiting liberties to the point of self-destruction. The doses would become higher and higher, and at some point they would be so high it would be like taking poison ...


More...