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I really hope people comment on this. It's absolutely fascinating to me how a private organization can ruin someone's life or completely jerk them around like t

I really hope people comment on this. It's absolutely fascinating to me how a private organization can ruin someone's life or completely jerk them around like this. With no recourse.

cobertos 2y ago
I hate to think of other agencies that act this negligently. Not enough funds/competence to do their task properly but a ton of power to destroy people's lives, the problems too complex to tease out without real focus.
- forsakenkraken 2y ago
  It's basically every large organisation in the world. I've worked in enough now to understand they're all the same.
  - triplesec 2y ago
    This is too glib. Some organisations do a a lot better than others, have better culture, responsiveness to evidence, and management.
- lazide 2y ago
  rarely is the real issue a lack of funds either - they somehow have no issue coming up with plenty when it comes time to punish whistleblowers or make someones life hell.
stefan_ 2y ago
When they signed up to be professional riders with the UCI, they also signed up to be monitored by WADA. The rules are clear and can realistically not work any other way: the majority of violations are on strict liability, it is on the athlete to establish how the substance entered their body if they want to claim contaminant.
- kelnos 2y ago
  > The rules are clear and can realistically not work any other way Here's one way it can work differently: if someone has to spend any amount of money to clear their name, WADA (or whomever) should have to reimburse them. It's criminal that the author of this article drained her savings merely to prove that she did nothing wrong.
  - stefan_ 2y ago
    But she hasn't - WADA has appealed to CAS and will likely prevail. At which point she will get the 6 month or so backdated suspension she was always going to get in a case like this. The whole "spend all your money" part was entirely unnecessary.
    - lostlogin 2y ago
      Was it unnecessary? It’s her career and her reputation. It’s also on a time schedule where she has a limited period during which she can have success.
- NovemberWhiskey 2y ago
  There's very little voluntary about signing up to rules that you're required to sign up to in order to have a career in your field. The policy position that detection of prohibited drugs at arbitrary low levels should result in a punitive finding, even though it is not consistent with an attempt to enhance performance or with industry standards on permissible cross-contamination, is untenable. If the goal is to establish the "cleanliness" of sport, then subjecting people who have almost-certainly done no wrong to the same treatment as those who almost-certainly have in fact undermines the moral position.
  - immibis 2y ago
    The goal is never to establish cleanliness, but to establish the perception that you are establishing cleanliness. Also, a lot of people just enjoy seeing others get punished.
adolph 2y ago
> how a private organization can ruin someone's life Believe it or not, the cyclists signed up for the possibility of ruin. Maybe there is an argument for some legal intervention to prevent people from agreeing to something so egregious?
- immibis 2y ago
  That would be communism.
Am4TIfIsER0ppos 2y ago
Here's a comment: we need doping leagues. There should be athletes doped up on 10 different steroids looking like Arnie in the '80s.
- flappyeagle 2y ago
  Why. That sounds lame as hell
  - Something1234 2y ago
    Because science. Imagine the lack of morals required to build truly scientifically the limits of human ability. Pushed beyond all peaks and limitations of natural ability
    - midjji 2y ago
      It would be amazing. Willing test subjects and the competitions to actually tell if we are making improvements.
- rqtwteye 2y ago
  Yes. Let's have a league where athletes drop dead all the time.
  - immibis 2y ago
    Isn't that the regular league, in some sports?
  - Tao3300 2y ago
    If it's all happening above the table, I think you'd actually get better management of the drugs and far fewer adverse side effects.
    - searealist 2y ago
      And what if something is harmful yet enhances your performance? Do we ban and test for that?
refurb 2y ago
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is the organisation responsible for protecting sport in the United Kingdom from doping. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and is structured as a company limited by guarantee. Maybe I'm confused, but the issue here is with UKAD, which is a public body?

I really hope people comment on this. It's absolutely fascinating to me how a private organization can ruin someone's life or completely jerk them around like this. With no recourse.

cobertos 2y ago

I hate to think of other agencies that act this negligently. Not enough funds/competence to do their task properly but a ton of power to destroy people's lives, the problems too complex to tease out without real focus.

forsakenkraken 2y ago
It's basically every large organisation in the world. I've worked in enough now to understand they're all the same.
- triplesec 2y ago
  This is too glib. Some organisations do a a lot better than others, have better culture, responsiveness to evidence, and management.
lazide 2y ago
rarely is the real issue a lack of funds either - they somehow have no issue coming up with plenty when it comes time to punish whistleblowers or make someones life hell.

stefan_ 2y ago

When they signed up to be professional riders with the UCI, they also signed up to be monitored by WADA. The rules are clear and can realistically not work any other way: the majority of violations are on strict liability, it is on the athlete to establish how the substance entered their body if they want to claim contaminant.

kelnos 2y ago
> The rules are clear and can realistically not work any other way Here's one way it can work differently: if someone has to spend any amount of money to clear their name, WADA (or whomever) should have to reimburse them. It's criminal that the author of this article drained her savings merely to prove that she did nothing wrong.
- stefan_ 2y ago
  But she hasn't - WADA has appealed to CAS and will likely prevail. At which point she will get the 6 month or so backdated suspension she was always going to get in a case like this. The whole "spend all your money" part was entirely unnecessary.
  - lostlogin 2y ago
    Was it unnecessary? It’s her career and her reputation. It’s also on a time schedule where she has a limited period during which she can have success.
NovemberWhiskey 2y ago
There's very little voluntary about signing up to rules that you're required to sign up to in order to have a career in your field. The policy position that detection of prohibited drugs at arbitrary low levels should result in a punitive finding, even though it is not consistent with an attempt to enhance performance or with industry standards on permissible cross-contamination, is untenable. If the goal is to establish the "cleanliness" of sport, then subjecting people who have almost-certainly done no wrong to the same treatment as those who almost-certainly have in fact undermines the moral position.
- immibis 2y ago
  The goal is never to establish cleanliness, but to establish the perception that you are establishing cleanliness. Also, a lot of people just enjoy seeing others get punished.

adolph 2y ago

> how a private organization can ruin someone's life Believe it or not, the cyclists signed up for the possibility of ruin. Maybe there is an argument for some legal intervention to prevent people from agreeing to something so egregious?

immibis 2y ago
That would be communism.

Am4TIfIsER0ppos 2y ago

Here's a comment: we need doping leagues. There should be athletes doped up on 10 different steroids looking like Arnie in the '80s.

flappyeagle 2y ago
Why. That sounds lame as hell
- Something1234 2y ago
  Because science. Imagine the lack of morals required to build truly scientifically the limits of human ability. Pushed beyond all peaks and limitations of natural ability
  - midjji 2y ago
    It would be amazing. Willing test subjects and the competitions to actually tell if we are making improvements.
rqtwteye 2y ago
Yes. Let's have a league where athletes drop dead all the time.
- immibis 2y ago
  Isn't that the regular league, in some sports?
- Tao3300 2y ago
  If it's all happening above the table, I think you'd actually get better management of the drugs and far fewer adverse side effects.
  - searealist 2y ago
    And what if something is harmful yet enhances your performance? Do we ban and test for that?

refurb 2y ago

UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) is the organisation responsible for protecting sport in the United Kingdom from doping. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and is structured as a company limited by guarantee. Maybe I'm confused, but the issue here is with UKAD, which is a public body?