Performance Enhancement

Now I may be wrong, but when it comes to doping in sport people are generally talking about substances like EPO, maybe Steroids, famously Nandrolone for a while, and synthetic Testosterone. These are all on the IAAF banned list, and all have a list of famous drug-takers behind each one, but where does it say that Cocaine is performance enhancing?

Adrian Mutu’s high profile sacking by Chelsea is an example of this. He was found guilty of taking Cocaine and effectively put to the sword. If Mutu had been at the top of his game, and playing well for Chelsea one wonders whether quite the same thing would have happened, but that is neither here nor there. Anyway he, like an increasing percentage of the population, took Cocaine, which is a recreational drug and doesn’t have that much to do with performance on the football pitch.

That is not to condone taking Cocaine in anyway, it is a dangerous and addictive substance which can have a terrible impact on people’s lives. All the same, surely taking Cocaine, or being caught guilty of it falls under the heading of a criminal offence as much as it has anything to do with sport.

Mutu is a funny one, at the time Chelsea commented about their players as role-models (Didier Drogba, anyone?) yet at the same time Mutu was one of a dying breed of chain-smoking professional footballers, again hardly the role-model that you want. Mutu, of course, denied that the drug he was found guilty of having taken was Cocaine, and instead suggested that it was a substance to increase sexual performance, which leads me to wonder why he would have lied about that in particular.

In other sports individuals have been found guilty of taking Cocaine. In cycling, for example, there are enormous problems with doping, to the point where some pundits are suggesting that the Tour de France may collapse altogether if there are any more high profile scandals this year. Amidst all the EPO and testosterone, however, Tom Boonen, the Belgian sprinter recently failed a drugs test for Cocaine.

Boonen immediately apologised to his boss and the world’s press, and given that the problems were deemed to be of a personal nature his team kept faith with him. He was, however, immediately banned from the Tour of Switzerland and then later from the Tour de France itself as the race directors do not want anyone who has anything to do with drugs taking part. Cocaine, though, is an entirely different kettle of fish, surely? It’s a drug that is used increasingly throughout the world, particularly by those with a lot of money, and surely sportsmen and women fall firmly into that category?

In Boonen’s absence, Thor Hushovd is the favourite to win the Green Jersey according to online bookies Blue Square. Down in sixth, though, we find Britain’s Mark Cavendish, who is an up and coming rider and might just be worth a bet.

Sports Betting Odds provided by Blues Square.

Categories: Associate Articles
Tags: