|
Reconfiguring Drugs
Doping in Elite Sport. The politics of Drugs in the Olympic Movement: Wayne
Wilson & Edward Derse (eds.). Human Kinetics 2000. 295 pages hardback, £26.50.
ISBN 0-7360-0329-0
A collection of papers delivered at the 1998 Los Angeles conference with the
same title. The down side is that it's a big read, fairly dense text, relieved
here and there by a few photos. The up side is that you can read each paper
separately, and they're both readable and worth reading. Particularly
penetrating is Tara Magdalinski's analysis of Australian attitudes to
performance-enhancing drugs. It's bad enough when pro bike riders are taking
EPO to please sponsors and win money; but what can we say when a government
connives at dubious practices for reasons of politics and national identity –
clean 'us' and cheating 'them'? We've seen it with East Germany, China and
others. Why should we suppose that the 'Free World' is any different? In
Australia the use of banned products has become acceptable as a means to
'restore health', sport and athletes as a microcosm of the health of the
nation. Thus the colostrum ('birth milk'), which contains the growth hormone
IGF-1, was 'reconfigured' as a natural product and not a drug. This is true
spin-doctoring. The identification of self and nation with a particular athlete
or group can equally be seen in the French reaction to the Festina riders, and
particularly Richard Virenque.
Most of the writers deplore the failure of governing bodies to address the
question, allowing drug use to proliferate, paying lip service to its dangers
but taking no action. Samaranch and the craven IOC, with their desire to fool
the public that something was being done, are roundly condemned. After the
Lausanne conference in 1999 'the IOC adopted a watered-down declaration on
doping that only underscored its eroded authority' (NY Times).
The 64 pages on significant events in the history of drug testing (1960 – 99)
includes 18 pages of references. It is amazing how rapidly, and to what extent,
thinking about drugs in sport has changed. Nowadays Ben Johnson would be
thought a fool: he and his coach both admitted (they gave details!) using
steroids for eight years. Now they'd deny everything, say 'Talk to my lawyers',
continue running, and probably win.
Ramin Minovi
|