The dilemma of Olympian sprinter Crystal Cox will continue as the Olympic organization and the International Association of Athletics Federations looks into her case. Cox was already handed 4-year ban and was stripped off her medals when the US Anti-Doping Agency accused her of using a banned substance. Although the sprinter said thru email that she never used anabolic steroids and was only forced to sign the suspension because of the threat of a lifetime ban in athletics.

Cox will be facing a tougher investigation when the International Olympic Committee and the International Association of Athletics Federations conduct their separate investigation on the case. This will be another blow to the US athletics since the investigation will focus not only on Cox but to the entire national relay team. IOC spokesman Mark Adams said in an interview that the IOC is looking into the file and considering setting up a disciplinary commission. The olympic body previously stripped off the medals of the US national relay team in 2000 Sydney Games.

The admission of sprinter Marion Jones that she used steroids during the Sydney Olympic caused the entire team to lose their medals. The gold medals in the 4×400 relay and bronze in the 4×100 relay were forfeited by the olympic organization. However, the other team members of the relay team appealed their case in the Court of Arbitration for Sport. They argued that they were not involved or used any banned substances when participated in the Sydney games. The Court of Arbitration for Sport is due to decide on the appeal this year.

The US men’s relay team also suffered the same fate when they were stripped off their gold medals in the 4×400 relay. Sprinters Antonio Pettigrew and Jerome Young admitted that they used steroids.

The investigation may be shelved for a moment because the IOC and IAAF are still waiting for the results of the appeal of the U.S. women’s relay team. According to IAAF spokesman, Nick Davies, the issue will be examined by the IAAF’s ruling council at its meeting in Doha, Qatar, in March. This will be discussed during the world indoor championships.

The international rules states that doping of one member will also cause the disqualification for the entire team. The IOC can also impose punishment retroactively. The medals of sprinters Sanya Richards, Dee Dee Trotter, Monique Henderson, Monique Hennegan and Moushaumi Robinson could be forfeited if the Court of Arbitration for Sport rejects the appeal of the Sydney relay team. The gold medals will be awarded to Russia and the bronze medals will go to Jamaica who ranked 3rd in the event.

After admitting her steroid use, Olympian Crystal Cox made a different statement in an email sent to friends and family members. She said that she never used steroids but her association with other athletes and trainers involved in steroids may be the factor why she was given a 4-year suspension. The US anti Doping Agency did not only give the 4 year ban but at the same time stripping off Cox with her medals from 2001 to 2004. It was the period where she allegedly used performance enhancing drugs. This will include the medal she won in the 2004 Athens Olympics in the 1,600-meter relay

In the published article of Earl Vaughan Jr. of fayobserver.com, Cox said that the current penalty she faces is the result of guilt by association. She insists that she never used anabolic steroids but confirms in her email that she was caught with a banned substance in 2002. Ephedrine was found in her system after taking the non-prescription antihistamine Benadryl. She stressed that she was already given warning for that offense and disqualified from the event that she won.

Crystal Cox wrote that words cannot express the devastation she have been going through since the news broke, and not because she knows in her heart that she’s innocent, but because in some way, shape or form, each and every one have been affected by this issue. She said that she was approached by USADA few months ago about her alleged steroid use.

“Many athletes before me were engulfed in the BALCO scandal,” she said. “Their coach and my former coach were associated with each other, to some extent. Because of that, the court of arbitration has come to the conclusion that I, too, was involved with the many track and field doping scandals,” added Cox.

Based on the account of Cox, the US anti-doping representatives contacted her lawyer and gave her two options, its either a 4 year ban or a lifetime ban if she will not sign the sanction. “I fought as long as I could, and tearfully signed the sanction, accepting the four-year ban, but knowing in my heart and every fiber of my being I was innocent.” Cox considers the lifetime ban as a worst consequence that’s why she gave in to the 4 year sanction.

She concluded in her email how she loves the sport and thank those people who have given her support and believe in her. “I have grown up in the sport,” she said. “It has been good to me, and I hope one day to become a phenomenal coach to help and inspire other athletes to reach and follow their dreams. Thank you, and I hope that in time, the world will see and the truth will prevail,” Cox said.

Lem Satterfield of Fanhouse was able to interview World Heavyweight Champion Evander Holyfield last week. The former heavyweight champion was very straightforward in answering intriguing questions about his career, steroids, anti-doping policies and as well as the stalled fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao. Holyfield is scheduled to fight Francois Botha on March 6 and another fight on April 24 against Derric Rossy. These successive fights for Holyfield are aimed to get another world title in the heavyweight division. He wants to dethrone the current WBC champ Vitali Klitschko.

Many people are not convinced on the comeback of Holyfield since he lost in his previous fights. But the former world champion is still confident that he can still get another world title even at the age of 47. “There are guys who are 22, 23 years old who can’t do it anymore, because you know what? They’ve been hit too much,” said Holyfield. His goal right now is to become the sport’s first five-time heavyweight world champion and wants to become the oldest man to win a title in the heavyweight division surpassing the record of George Foreman.

Satterfield asked Holyfield on his view on the issue of steroid testing for Manny Pacquiao. “I don’t think that the fighters should be the ones who tell people in the boxing commissions what to do. I don’t think that the fighter should get to make the rules as to when somebody should check somebody and all of that,” he said. He believes that a fighter does not have any right to demand or change the rules. “You’re just the fighter. You don’t get to change the rules. The rules and regulations are the rules and regulations. You don’t get to sit here and all of a sudden, you say that ‘I don’t want to fight a fight unless he takes this other test,” Holyfield added.

“So how can somebody come in and all of a sudden say, ‘Look, I want to check, this, this, this and this?’ Then why do you fight if you feel that the guy is going to cheat?” The former heavyweight champion said that the decision on what particular drug test that will be required on each boxer should be decided by the commission. “The commission is the one that is supposed to make that decision. Either you are going to fight, or you’re not going to fight. If you think the guy is on steroids, and you don’t want to fight, then you don’t fight,” he said. Holyfield added that the commission itself is supposed to direct how things are supposed to be, not the fighters.

Holyfield said that he never been caught on steroids and he’s never been on steroids. But he disagrees with the Mayweathers strategy of accusing Manny Pacquiao of using steroids without any evidence. “You shouldn’t have the opportunity to tear down somebody’s integrity just because of what you think,” he said. The heavyweight boxer believes that the decision of Manny Pacquiao to file a lawsuit against the Mayweathers and Golden Boy Promotions is on the right tract. “Yes, because the big thing is that there’s always somebody saying that somebody is taking steroids, and then, once it gets into the papers, then your name is already smut,” Holyfield said.

The former world heavyweight champion said that he is ready to take whatever test is required to prove that he can still fight in the ring. “I would say, Yeah, or else I wouldn’t be back fighting if I couldn’t do it. On any given day, you can get hurt if you get hit with a certain shot. It all depends on where you get hit. That’s a fact,” the boxer concluded.

Every time we talk about anabolic steroids, controversies in sports and its side effects always comes out. Anabolic steroids are used to treat some health conditions but it was given a bad reputation because of misuse by some people especially in professional sports like baseball and football. The US government already put anabolic steroids as a controlled substance under schedule III drug classification. However, federal authorities like the FDA still have many problems in curtailing the illegal manufacture, distribution and use of steroids.

The country is not alone in this problem. European countries are already alarmed on the increasing number of people using steroids. In Finland alone, there is an estimated 10,000 steroid users who are mostly into bodybuilding. The government of Finland wants to address this problem thru information campaign. They recently launched an anti-doping website with the objective of informing people on the dangers of using bodybuilding drugs in just trying to attain a perfect body.

The site which was named Dopinglinkki was launched Wednesday. According to Mia-Veera Koivisto of the A-Clinic Foundation, the site does not only aim to provide steroid information to users, but also to concerned family members, healthcare workers and gym personnel. The site has an interactive feature where visitors can ask questions and will be answered by an expert.

An online site YLE.fi reported that authorities in Finland are now exploring whether new legislations are needed to stop the illegal use of steroids. Under the current laws, possession of anabolic steroid is not illegal but importation and distribution are punishable offenses.

Meanwhile, a report from mirror.co.uk revealed that the United Kingdom showed an increase in the use of bodybuilding supplements. Based on hospital records, there was an increase of 64% of patients who were hospitalized due to anabolic steroids. From 1,606 cases five years ago it increased dramatically to 2,660 cases in 2008.

On the other hand, the apprehension of people engaging in the importation and distribution of anabolic steroids declined. From 2005 to 2007, only 41 people were found guilty of using or selling steroids. This is way below from the numbers before 2005. Based on the records the government was able to prosecute 800 people with steroid related cases. Don Foster, Lib Dem sport spokesman, said that the ministers were not taking the issue seriously. He said that there was little information about the dangers of taking illegal anabolic steroids which usually results to health problems. “It is far too easy to obtain them and avoid prosecution for supplying them illegally,” Foster added.