Oz rocked by doping scandal

The Australian Crime Commission (ACC) released the findings of "Project Aperio" on Thursday, saying there was evidence of at least one potential case of match fixing, widespread use of prohibited substances including peptides, hormones and illicit drugs, and the infiltration of organized criminal groups in the distribution of performance and image enhancing drugs.

"The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans," Justice Minister Jason Clare said to a news conference in Canberra. He revealed that "multiple athletes from a number of clubs" in the big professional leagues are suspected of using or having used performance enhancing substances.

The findings are shocking and will disgust Australian sports fans. Justice Minister Jason Clare

The country's two most popular sports competitions, the Aussie rules Australian Football League and the National Rugby League, have already acknowledged they're working with the ACC and have launched independent investigations.

Other high-profile sports are doing the same. A state police force has suspicions about a recent soccer match which attracted heavy betting and seemingly unusual attention from Asia.

"This is the blackest day in Australian sport," Richard Ings, the former chief of the Australian sports anti-doping agency, told the national broadcaster.

Australia's Channel 10 sports presenter Brad McEwan told Channel 4 News: "The country is aghast...It has rocked Australia. This has been described as the blackest day in Australian sport and you won't get too many people here who will disagree with that...Sadly there will be kids in this country who will be ripping posters (of their sports heroes) off their walls."

Drugs 'not cleared for humans'
 

Illicit drug use by professional athletes was more common in the bigger sports than current drugs testing programs suggested, the ACC report noted, adding that some coaches, sports scientists and support staff had "orchestrated and/or condoned the use of prohibited substances" that sometimes weren't even cleared for use on humans.

Details of individuals and clubs involved couldn't be released publicly, the ACC said, but certain sports had been given classified briefings and the report findings had been forwarded to the Australian Federal Police and state police forces.

The ACC revelations come in the same week that prominent AFL club Essendon asked authorities to investigate the use of certain supplements used in its 2012 fitness program, and European police agency Europol revealed evidence of hundreds of cases of match fixing in soccer around the world. The ACC report contained various references to U.S. cyclist Lance Armstrong and the sophisticated and systemic doping that wasn't formally detected during his long professional career.

The country is aghast...It has rocked Australia. Brad McEwan, Australia's Channel 10 sports presenter

World Anti-Doping Agency president John Fahey, who has served as a state and federal politician in Australia, said he was alarmed but not surprised by the ACC report's findings.

"I think it tells us how wide (and) how deep this problem is - in a country that prides itself on fair play we've got a problem of the nature we've heard of today," Fahey told ABC television. "It seems to be history in sport that you'll address these issues only when something surfaces and you'll try to avoid it until that time.

"That was the case in the Olympic movement with doping. It's the case in cycling, we've seen so much of in recent times. Now sadly it's the case it seems here in Australia."

Well well well  - there has been smoke in the past and now the fire has become visible at last. I heard on the car radio this morning that Nz were very concernd because they play a lot of sport with Oz and could be caught in the same web.

 This is a huge incident and one wonders how its going to pan out. All one asks is that there are no more cover ups.

Whilst about it investigate ou BL please. Allow him to clear his name -hahahahahaha

Beeno

I really am not surprised about this report drugs in Australia in general is a major problem and I think alcohol is as well.   I was shocked during my visits to see their are buckets in virtually all pubklic toilets with notification -

    PUT YOUR USED NEEDLES IN HERE

Drugtaking in Australian sport is nothing new and for years the Aussie sporting authorities hushed it up because they always wanted to say we have the best sportsmen in the World.   You only have to look at different codes of sport to realise the magnitude of the problem and the efforts to hush it up to realize how bad the situation was and in some respects is in Australian sport:-

Rugby Union

More recent cases were -

*   Ben Tune - who was tested postive and the ARB tried to hush it up - but the story was leaked to the newspapers and then it was said that he had a knee injury  and was given drugs to speed up his recovery.

*   Herbert came to SA and was so full of drugs that the Queensland Reds in playing the Stormers at George in the Super Series was afraid that he would be tested and found positive and banned for two years - so they kept him from playing and picked a loosie to play in Herbert's center position.   The other alternatives all were drugged to their necks and they dared not replace Herbert by another backline player.

Cricket

The most famous case is Warne in the 2003 WC played in SA.   They tested him in Australia and found him positive.   Before he could start playing in SA - where a positive test woud have resulted in a longish ban - they panicked and withdrew him from the Aussie team and sent him home - with the excuse that he had flue and took a cough mixture which resulted in him testing postive.  Was given a year ban because he used forbidden substances by accident.   One can but wonder for how many years Warne and other players played filled to the brim with banned substances and the findings hushed up.

Tennis

A few years ago there was a huge scandal in Australian tennis when one of the players went public and said that substnce abuse was prevalent in Aussie tennis and it ws the exception rather than the rule when players did not abuse the drug prevention regulations.   However, nothing was done - but thre was one huge giveaway of secrets.   Well-known Aussie players vanished from overseas tournaments - some for longer than a year - with the excuse they were injured.   The truth was that they were tested - found posiive and the tests were hushed up.    They dare not play in foreign countries since that would have exposed the whole Australian cover-up - so stayed at home and only played in home torunaments.  Hewitt was one such player.

Olympic Games - 2000

When athletes from other countries returned from the Sydney Olympics some made statements that they were amazed by the extent of drug abuse at he Games - claimns included that as many as 90% of the medal winners were on abusive substances - but at the time the tests were either hushed up or undetectable.   Their was a sports drug manufacruting laboratory in California  that produced substances that could not be detected in 2000 - and the American and Australian teams made maximum use of that laboratory.   However, it came out subsequently that abuse was rife and medals had to be returned - also by Aussie team members.

However, the worst problem was in swimming.   Ian Thorpe at 17 years of age cleaned up on the medals.   He swam in foreign competitions until early 2001 - when the California laboratory was discovered - took part in few local competitions and by 2005 - when he was 22 - stopped swimming altogether.   He denied that he used banned substances in 2000 and because he stopped participating he ws never tested again.  Really suspicious that one.

Comclusion

 Ausie sporting auhorities are part of the porblem - they try to hush up problems and if they get found out - they hide behind flimsy excuses to take limited action against players.   I m not surprised that after  a conspiracy of many years - the shit has hit the fan now.

There is no doubt that there is also abuse oin SA at school level -  and even at amateur level.   I met a youngster years ago.   He was really built like Tarzan and played in all sports - the girls just love him and he was very popular.    His mates told me that he was using both steroids and cocaine - dangerous because he couldinjure his muscles without feeling any pain.   He went off for military training at Oudtshoorn and when I sw him six months later he was  like a beanpole - all th magnificient muscles gone.   He was a teacher and as I understand it he is still teaching.  

However, at professional sport level the problem has been addressed in  SA and when players transgressed they get realistic bans.   There is one guarante here positive tests will not be hushed up as per the Australian method.

Is New Zealand clear in the relevant regard?????

Yes there has been a tendency to sweep things under the carpet and I include incompetent refs in this as well.

Mike apparently big crime is heavily  involved (Asian and Russian) in the doping and match fixing. Because nz play oz at sport a lot the nz administrators are worried that nz may also be involved.  Hold onto your hats as this is a huge scandal. Could the abs be doppers of note? Time will tell.

It is becoming increasingly clear that Lance Armstrong was simply doing what many were doing in cycling and that doping in sport generally is a major scourge. No effort can be spared in uncovering doping and giving it the boot.

There are concerns for the UK as well re doping I saw in one related report.

 Beeno, Bjorn Basson and Chiliboy Ralepelle should travel to Australia and give talks on the dangers of doping and the yet bigger danger of getting caught ;-))

@hakwa,

bro, i have no idea why u would u mention johan goosen and him getting busted for taking illegal substances.

oh wait minute, u didnt, my bad, :oP

Sasue

I a, afraid the raising of the issue of Hoosen in this case is really rubbish.  He was in school and given a sunstance by the school team coaching staff to use - that tuned out to contain a banned substance.   I anr ro ask you something - if you are in a school team and the sporting coach says - "Here is something I want you to use:" - wll you as a school boy refuse to use it?

I think 99% of the school boys would think that the teacher - sports master involved would not give them anything that is prohibited or that contains forbidden substances and use it.   without questioning.    This is exactly what happened in Goosen case.  The matter was dealt with publicly and in the open - and Goosen was exconerated on the basis indicated.

I believe that players in SA are tested regularly and when found guilty receive the appropriate punishment - my problem is not thar component that bothering me - it is the very real possibility that doping is swept unde the carpet by sporting authorities themselves.   I tried to point out above that the Australians have a record of exactly that type of thing.

One of the major dangers attached to excessive doping is kidney failure.   In the case of some sportsmen it leads to early deaths - such as is the case in wrestling in the USA.   The one similae classic case stemming from New Zealand was Lomu.  There is convincing evidence that he used prrohbited substances and the real question is - was he ever tested and what happened to the results of the tests if he ever was?   However - that was the case in 1995 and may have been before the doping situation really got out of hand and became a scourge.  You have your Lomu -we have our Suzie - so maybe we should leave this one right where it belongs - in the comedy  section    LOL        

However the real thread is about a scandal in Australia and it could affect all countries with close sporting ties with them.    Insofar as our ties with them are concerned  - it is virtually confined to rugby and cricket and some of our swimmers compete with them - but the latter is basically always in neutral countries.   We have serious testing prorammes in rugby and cricket as was found out by Basson and Rallepele and playes will not take part in such abuse - because it ultimately can destroy careers.  However the question remains as to the close sporting ties between Australia and New Zealand - is it not possible for New Zealand getting infected by this Australian disease.   I hope not - but it still remains a worrisome problem.   

@mikey,

LMFAO, :oD
my comment was as u would put it a bit of needling, i couldnt help myslef as my partner in crime hakwa set me up so perfectly for the slam dunk, :oP

for the record, i do believe the scenario of goosen not knowing any better to be the case and that he was misled by people in a higher position, however because know one here can say with abosloute certainty, there will always be question marks, especially given the drug problems with saffa kids at school.
where theres smoke theres fire,,,

which brings me to lomu, u say,,,
"There is convincing evidence that he used prrohbited substances and the real question is - was he ever tested and what happened to the results of the tests if he ever was?"
so let me answer this with a question of my own, how can there be convincing evidence, when u dont even know if he was tested??? o_O
am i as dumb as beeno, or is this comment logically flawed???

im assuming ur referring to lomus size??? if so, then u should see some of the island maori boys i kicked round with back home in NZ, pacific islanders like native africans are physically bigger in general then their caucasion counterparts, just look at most sports in the world.

anyways its all good, i do believe that goosen is innocent but stupid, while i believe he was coherced, for me personally i like to know everything thats about to happen to my body, even from my family doctor, one shouldnt just readily accept things cos its the norm. imnot even a special athlete, but if i was, i would be evcen more vigilant IMO, but thats just me, :o)

@mikey,

LMFAO, :oD
my comment was as u would put it a bit of needling, i couldnt help myslef as my partner in crime hakwa set me up so perfectly for the slam dunk, :oP

for the record, i do believe the scenario of goosen not knowing any better to be the case and that he was misled by people in a higher position, however because know one here can say with abosloute certainty, there will always be question marks, especially given the drug problems with saffa kids at school.
where theres smoke theres fire,,,

which brings me to lomu, u say,,,
"There is convincing evidence that he used prrohbited substances and the real question is - was he ever tested and what happened to the results of the tests if he ever was?"
so let me answer this with a question of my own, how can there be convincing evidence, when u dont even know if he was tested??? o_O
am i as dumb as beeno, or is this comment logically flawed???

im assuming ur referring to lomus size??? if so, then u should see some of the island maori boys i kicked round with back home in NZ, pacific islanders like native africans are physically bigger in general then their caucasion counterparts, just look at most sports in the world.

anyways its all good, i do believe that goosen is innocent but stupid, while i believe he was coherced, for me personally i like to know everything thats about to happen to my body, even from my family doctor, one shouldnt just readily accept things cos its the norm. imnot even a special athlete, but if i was, i would be evcen more vigilant IMO, but thats just me, :o)

 no offense taken or intended Mike :-)) but you know if Beeno pulls our chain, we will DEFINITELY WITHOUT HESITATION tug his chain too LOL! 

hahahahawkwa please remember the saying the truth will set you free. Those chains will fall off once the truth sets you free.

Watch this space as the whole thing unravels. nz will have to work very hard to cover this one up.

Dr Beeno you couldn't write me out a prescription for some of those drugs you're on.

I hear our friend the boxer with boobies got some off you last week and did'nt he do well.

I'm only going to be playing darts so don't worry if it's a banned substance as drug cheating or any other type of cheating does'nt apply to us Saffas ne?