Dave Millar and Christine Ohuruogu

moray_gub
moray_gub Posts: 3,328
edited September 2007 in Pro race
This lady winning gold has got me thinking about next years Olympics and whether Dave Millar or her can compete next year . Is the Olympic ban a British Olympic Association rule or British Cycling . I am assuming its not an Olympic rule as im sure Ben Johnstone raced in the Olympics after 1988. Does Christine Ohuruogu face an Olympic competition ban as well given that she has been banned for drug offences (even it was for missing out of competition tests ) coz i am sure i heard Colin Jackson et al say something about Beijing next year

cheers
MG
Gasping - but somehow still alive !

Comments

  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    It's a ban imposed by the British Olympic Association.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,069
    It's a BOA rule and Ohuruogu is appealing her ban because, in her view, she didn't fail a test but simply missed three out of competition tests through "forgetfullness".

    There is a precendent I believe as Tim Don, ex-world Olympic distance triathlon champion got a ban last year for missing out of competion tests and has successfully appealed against being banned from the Olympics.
  • peejay78
    peejay78 Posts: 3,378
    very unlikely millar will race due to admission of guilt.
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    In an interview in Cycling Weekly earlier this year, David Brailsford(sp.) indicated that he didn't believe that Millars Olympic ban was irrevocable.
    'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'
  • Kléber
    Kléber Posts: 6,842
    I'm a fan of Millar from the early days, a talent with a brain too. He made big mistakes but then so did 90% of the peloton, he was just one of the few to get caught. Now he's arguing for a cleaner sport and apparently showing just how far you can go by riding clean.

    But the rules are the rules: if they say anyone subject to a doping ban can't take part in the Olympics, then so be it. It seems pro sportsmen and women need a coach, nutritionist, agent and now a specialist appeals lawyer in their entourage. :?
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Yeah its not quite the same thing is it - Millar admitted doping.

    I'd prefer to see the cycling events go back to being amateur though for the olympics. The pros have enough chances to shine already.
  • top_bhoy
    top_bhoy Posts: 1,424
    Kléber wrote:
    It seems pro sportsmen and women need a coach, nutritionist, agent and now a specialist appeals lawyer in their entourage. :?

    I guess if they or the majority of their colleagues didn't cheat in the first place there would be no need for the latter :roll:
  • Someitmes it seems honesty (well, admitting to cheating anyway) isn't the best policy. Keep your head down, miss the tests and you just get a shorter ban with everyone saying you're not a doper just forgetful.

    Not that either way is good but how will you get athletes to own up and break the drugs rings if they know the're better off saying quiet.

    Oh and the new excuse is the best I've heard. Failing a drugs test because of some treatment to prevent hair loss - step forward Stan Lazarides!
    You hear that? He's up there... mewing in the nerve centre of his evil empire. A ground rent increase here, a tax dodge there? he sticks his leg in the air, laughs his cat laugh... and dives back down to grooming his balls!
  • mozandmarr
    mozandmarr Posts: 140
    What is strange is the fact that it's just a BOA rule. The Olympic committee themselves have no problem with previously banned athletes competing (Weightlifting events for one would be particularly quiet otherwise). It comes over as the BOA hanging on to the last vestiges of the amateur ideal. Not denigrating that idea, just seems strange in the current ultra commercial climate of the olympics.
    vivent les baroudeurs
  • bipedal
    bipedal Posts: 466
    it made my skin crawl to listen to all the beeb's pundits gushing with praise and simpering about what an ordeal she's been through... if she'd done her job professionally then she wouldn't have missed tests, it was her own fault. Their attitude to her certainly stands in sharp contrast to their news coverage of a certain other misser of drugs tests earlier this summer...
  • Titanium
    Titanium Posts: 2,056
    bipedal wrote:
    it made my skin crawl to listen to all the beeb's pundits gushing with praise and simpering about what an ordeal she's been through... if she'd done her job professionally then she wouldn't have missed tests, it was her own fault. Their attitude to her certainly stands in sharp contrast to their news coverage of a certain other misser of drugs tests earlier this summer...
    Even the Court of Arbitration in sport said she was probably not doping but she's gotta pay a price for breaking the rules. Millar was charging up on EPO and there's little doubt as to what a lot of riders were doing in June and July.

    Have the courage to admit that cycling is rife with dope cheats. Turn on them instead of being defensive and flaming the BBC.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    well they can at least be consistent - Ras didnt get off so lightly

    he had nt actually done anything different - its just that colin jackson like christine
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    Titanium wrote:
    bipedal wrote:
    it made my skin crawl to listen to all the beeb's pundits gushing with praise and simpering about what an ordeal she's been through... if she'd done her job professionally then she wouldn't have missed tests, it was her own fault. Their attitude to her certainly stands in sharp contrast to their news coverage of a certain other misser of drugs tests earlier this summer...
    Even the Court of Arbitration in sport said she was probably not doping but she's gotta pay a price for breaking the rules. Millar was charging up on EPO and there's little doubt as to what a lot of riders were doing in June and July.

    Have the courage to admit that cycling is rife with dope cheats. Turn on them instead of being defensive and flaming the BBC.


    Are you prepared to give Rasmussen as mush benefit of the doubt you are giving CO ?

    cheers
    MG
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    Why should we give Rasmussen any benefit of doubt ? He claimed to be in Mexico, when in fact he was in Italy. Why would you lie like that unless you wanted to cover up your trip to Italy ? And which doctor do you think he was seeing there ?

    CO was assessed by an independent panel that said she hadnt tried to evade the tests - but its very hard to be exactly where you say you'll be weeks in advance. Some missed tests are inevitable.

    Would an independent panel clear Rasmussen do you think ? We've heard the stories of him doping whilst MTBing, and the latest one was outrageous.
  • drenkrom
    drenkrom Posts: 1,062
    Get your "facts" straight. Rasmussen filed paperwork stating he'd be in Mexico. He then sent a fax to the UCI to change his plans and stated he would be in the Pyrenees scouting the Tour stages on the dates he was supposed to be in Mexico. He supposedly has a copy of the fax with reception notification from the UCI. Then Davide Cassani claimed on TV to have seen him in the Dolomites around those dates.

    I'm all for slandering riders without a shred of proof, but let's try to take the known "facts" into account.
  • bryanm
    bryanm Posts: 218
    cougie wrote:
    CO was assessed by an independent panel that said she hadnt tried to evade the tests - but its very hard to be exactly where you say you'll be weeks in advance. Some missed tests are inevitable.

    That simply isn't true. You can phone / fax / email / text upto 1 minute prior to the 'designated time' to inform the testers that your whereabouts has changed.
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    cougie wrote:
    Why should we give Rasmussen any benefit of doubt ? He claimed to be in Mexico, when in fact he was in Italy. Why would you lie like that unless you wanted to cover up your trip to Italy ? And which doctor do you think he was seeing there ?

    CO was assessed by an independent panel that said she hadnt tried to evade the tests - but its very hard to be exactly where you say you'll be weeks in advance. Some missed tests are inevitable.

    Would an independent panel clear Rasmussen do you think ? We've heard the stories of him doping whilst MTBing, and the latest one was outrageous.

    I absolutely disagree with the bit I've highlighedt. The British whereabouts system is the most advanced in the world. Athletes have *numerous* ways of letting the testers know where they are. If you get stuck in a traffic jam, or in an airport or something, you can phone, text or do it online. There is no excuse for not being where you are supposed to be. And to miss it three times goes beyond carelessness.

    Do you ever just forget to go into work sometimes? No, because if you did, you'd be sacked.
  • cougie
    cougie Posts: 22,512
    thanks for that drenkom - first I've seen of it though - Mexico was widely reported.

    I'm not on the World Class Plan or anything so I've not seen the system. I know the triathlete Tim Don said that he couldnt understand the system or get it to work for him. We've all seen systems at work that are fantastic, but c*ck up from time to time.

    The independent panel seemed happy with COs explanations - they would have got all the details - so I'll go with that.
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    cougie wrote:
    Why should we give Rasmussen any benefit of doubt ? He claimed to be in Mexico, when in fact he was in Italy. Why would you lie like that unless you wanted to cover up your trip to Italy ? And which doctor do you think he was seeing there ?

    CO was assessed by an independent panel that said she hadnt tried to evade the tests - but its very hard to be exactly where you say you'll be weeks in advance. Some missed tests are inevitable.

    Would an independent panel clear Rasmussen do you think ? We've heard the stories of him doping whilst MTBing, and the latest one was outrageous.

    I think you are incredibly guilty of double standards here both are professional athletes both know whats what with out of competition tests one is not different from the other at all. You seem quite happy to castigate Ras with very little evidence but are prepared to give another athlete the benefit despite her having done exactly what Ras has done. In fact you are acting very much like the BBC.

    cheers
    MG
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • Noodley
    Noodley Posts: 1,725
    Oh good another argument we had a few weeks ago and which I tried to resurrect yesterday in another thread :lol:

    The "it's difficult to know where you'll be" argument is bollox.
  • ddraver
    ddraver Posts: 26,348
    I didnt say Rassmussen was right, but the reactions from the same people were compleerlty different for the same peice of rule breaking......

    its no different from no one publicising that 6 athletes werer banned duing june-july - but the tour de france drug scandals were trumpeted from the tallest tower

    of course that does nt excuse the cyclists but lets have a bit of equality here auntie beeb
    We're in danger of confusing passion with incompetence
    - @ddraver
  • bipedal
    bipedal Posts: 466
    One of the BBC pundits made the point last night: what would we all be saying if it the gold medal had gone to an athlete from another country who had missed dope tests... the answer: we'd be saying what filthy dirty foreign cheats they were

    Michael Johnson also added that he couldn't understand how any athlete could miss one test, let alone three...

    It's the BBC's inconsistency and outright jingoism that gets my goat
  • Titanium wrote:

    Have the courage to admit that cycling is rife with dope cheats. Turn on them instead of being defensive and flaming the BBC.

    Athletics is just as rife with dope cheats as cycling.