What is your RTE Athletics panel dream team?

Pisco Sour

Indo404 wrote: »

Just saying that your comment " She was on a final warning for avoiding tests." is incorrect. With a colleague writing a book about this case and we have the letter from FINA in which the organisation states that they are happy with MS availability for out-of-competition tests.
Furthermore sources in Fina told us that they had to change the charge because they found out that Andro was not on the banned list and that there was case law from CAS that they would be in difficulty before CAS. We have the original charge (with no mention of tempering). As a foreign writer (so excuse my bad English ) I am amazed how little research was done by Irish journalists into this case
E.g. Nobody contacted the expert who proved that the cannisters containing the samples were easy to open by simply putting them in boiling water. No mention that the sample was missing for a while and not stored in the proper place. No one went back to check about MS's whereabouts at the time of the test. It turned out that she wasn't even training at the time. Questening why an athlete would take performance enhancing drugs when you don't need them? Etc. etc It's a fascinating case with more questions than answers maybe but we will try to find as many answers as we can.

Hi Erik

pc11

Indo404 wrote: »

Just saying that your comment " She was on a final warning for avoiding tests." is incorrect. With a colleague writing a book about this case and we have the letter from FINA in which the organisation states that they are happy with MS availability for out-of-competition tests.
Furthermore sources in Fina told us that they had to change the charge because they found out that Andro was not on the banned list and that there was case law from CAS that they would be in difficulty before CAS. We have the original charge (with no mention of tempering). As a foreign writer (so excuse my bad English ) I am amazed how little research was done by Irish journalists into this case
E.g. Nobody contacted the expert who proved that the cannisters containing the samples were easy to open by simply putting them in boiling water. No mention that the sample was missing for a while and not stored in the proper place. No one went back to check about MS's whereabouts at the time of the test. It turned out that she wasn't even training at the time. Questening why an athlete would take performance enhancing drugs when you don't need them? Etc. etc It's a fascinating case with more questions than answers maybe but we will try to find as many answers as we can.

I acknowledge she may not have been on a final warning, but she had missed at least one test and had been formally warned. I edited my orginal post earlier to acknowledge that. Also, she had been warned for giving vague information on her whereabouts to the testers. I don't have the original document that you claim to have knowledge of and of course you haven't presented it here, or any evidence of any kind actually.

I have presented documented facts, backed up by citations, about the case as fought in the CAS. You have presented no citations whatsoever. The CAS found that there was no tampering by anyone and that it was not possible to do so without leaving a trace. As this was carefully considered and argued by experts, and was adjudicated by the highest court possible, these are the established facts. If you wish to question the entire process, that's your right, but you would have to present extraordinary evidence to support such an extraordinary claim.

In the end, it wouldn't change the proven facts that she took Andro repeatedly, as I think you have acknowledged. It's a little hard to be sure as you have been very evasive.

If you have evidence, please show it. Otherwise I'm unable to continue this discussion.

walshb

Pisco Sour wrote: »

No, but only because they sanctioned her for the more punishable offence.

Ban for failing drugs test = 2 years
Ban for tampering with drugs test = 4 years.

They gave her the longer ban, hence the naievity of many people that she "never tested positive".

And with regards to the whole "clean in Atlanta, but took drugs after" that is possibly one of the stupidest things I have ever heard and so many people come out consistently with that crap, including Jimmy Magee.

One can easily read that Michelle tested positive for drugs. But, the sanction and ban, as you say, was for the tampering. That is the official line, so I wouldn't call it plain naivety. It's foks presenting some sort of defence.

What I could never understand with Michelle was how she was caught two years after Atlanta. If she was doping in Atlanta and got away with it, surely she should have got the medals, the praise, and got out! Why go on and then get caught and really put a cloud over your whole career?

Had she quit in say 1997 then many would still have doubts, but now they have absolute confirmation, seeing as she was officially banned.

ecoli

Mod:Gone way off topic if people want to continue the discussion bring it to Swimming Forum otherwise will be forced to close thread

Brianderunner

robinph wrote: »

Keeping out of the rain?

The real athletics fans were there on Friday and Saturday. The olympic stadium will be largely full of *sunshine supporters.

*Its quite unlikely to be sunny during the games