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Re: Track and Field

Reply #210 –
@Lods‍, do you think a USA team will be clean under a Trump lead regime?

I realise testing is "independant", and that is really the key word, because under influence from political pressure it's failed dramatically in the past.
"Extremists on either side will always meet in the Middle!"

Re: Track and Field

Reply #211 –
Quote from: LP – on
@Lods‍, do you think a USA team will be clean under a Trump lead regime?

I realise testing is "independant", and that is really the key word, because under influence from political pressure it's failed dramatically in the past.

I think that US team would be as 'clean' under Trump as it's always been.
Which is probably to say 'as clean as the testing at the time allows'.

The Americans don't have the same state controlled programs that operated in the Eastern bloc countries back in the 1970's to 1990s but there has been some dubious American performances over the years with many U.S. athletes suspended or admitting to using performance enhancing drugs during their careers.

It all depends on the detection methods, and how they are used a the time.
If we have a look at the World Athletic records there are some long standing ones, especially amongst the women and there is a debate about whether they should still stand given what we know about the sporting regimes in some countries during the late 20th century.

That Flo Jo's 1988 100 and 200 metre records still exist is a source of some scepticism...but no positives and the records stand.

The key difference is that the American system is a largely decentralised/ private system or college based...whereas the Eastern Bloc one was state controlled and funded...with the key aim of promoting the governing system as one where athletes were superior because of that system.
If there is still a similar structure that would allow for state "assistance" the closest would probably be the Chinese at present.
But even there the testing regimes are now such that detection is much more likely to identify any athlete going above and beyond.

That sort of controlled system would be something that Trump could probably get on board with, but it would take years to establish and he'll be pushing up daisies before it would come to fruition.

The strength of American Track and Field is their college system...but that also provides opportunities for athletes from all over the world.

I suspect the American 'Superman' is probably low on Trump's list of priorities at the moment.
(And I won't even mention the elephant in the room if he was presenting Gold, Silver and Bronze to American 100 metre athletes) ;)