After almost a month since the torch was lit in Beijing Olympics, almost dozens of athletes from different countries were also banned after testing positive for steroid. Gina Kolata, a science reporter, published an article on online news website of International Herald Tribune saying: “during the second of August, there were three athletes who were tested positive for steroids and were immediately banned from their respective games. One of whom is the North Korean medalist, Kim Jong-su.”

Sports officials said this only demonstrates their new anti-drug attack is effectively working. Director of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), David Howman, said: “The gap between regulators and cheaters has narrowed, and it will continue to narrow.” The featured news published last September 14 in Baltimoresun.com, Maryland’s online source for news, says that Wada including the International Olympic Committee (IOC) will carry out over 4,500 doping tests during the Olympics; approximately, there was only 1,000 doping tests for the past four years. The Beijing lab of IOC is operating 24 hours a day with 180 staffers and scientists. Also, it has added two new tests for erythropoietin and growth hormone, formerly two of the untraceable drugs that have been extensively used by elite athletes.

But the question posed is, are those enough? According to the Sun reporter, Davin Kohn, more and more knowledge observers said that cheating is still widespread. They also claim that athletes, trainers, coaches, and including doctors and scientists have discovered new ways to outsmart present tests. More cleverly, they have also built up new technologies for doping wherein no tests exist yet. Hence, they concluded that there can be hundreds if not thousands of athletes today who have safely escaped WADA’s chemical dragnet.

“They are like ostriches, hiding their heads in the sand,” Dr. Mauro Di Pasquale speaks of WADA and other agencies that overlooked testing. A sports medicine specialist from Toronto who achieve decades of experience working along with elite athletes estimated that almost over 11,000 of Beijing Olympians have used a banned drug in the year or so before the Olympics began.

According to him including to the others, several of the keys tests have great limitations. One of which is the Human Growth Hormone test (HGH), this test can only trace the substance within 24 to 48 hours after the injection of the drug. So, for an athlete to avoid getting a positive test, he only needs to stop the injection few days before being tested. This will also not create any interruption on the athlete’s performance because the benefits brought by HGH, which is to boost strength and muscle mass, can last for a week or as long as a month.

Therefore, timing is the solution said by Victor Conte, nutrition and training expert. “Most of the athletes use performance-enhancer drugs months before the competition starts. These are trailing drugs,” he said. He also added that these drugs are used during the off-season for the purpose of better training. So, when the day of competition comes, the tests will be ineffective. “The athletes are not dumb, “he emphasized.
Anyhow, Pasquale confidently declared authorities will always hunt the cheaters. “If the demand is there, you will always be able to get it. It’s just like cocaine and heroin. It will never be under control. WADA will be behind every time,” he said.

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