Youth Doping
October 11, 2007
While high-profile names from the worlds of professional cycling and athletics usually dominate the doping headlines, the practice is also rampant in youth and amateur sports, according to Gerhard Treutlein, director of a new doping prevention center, which opened Wednesday, Oct. 10.
Performance-enhancing drug use in poplar and youth sports has, however, remained a little-researched field, Treutlein said.
That's why the center plans to approach young athletes about the risks doping pose. The center also plans to educate coaches and teachers on doping and drug abuse and to create ad campaigns to help prevent doping among young athletes.
"We can show young people alternatives to consider, but it's up to them to make the decision," Treutlein said.
Faith in doping-free international sports has most recently been shaken by China's top female triathlete being banned from two years of completion for taking performance-enhancing drugs, US sprinter and triple Olympic champion Marion Jones confessing to doping and returning her medals from the Sydney Olympics, and a Tour de France that was marred by doping cases and allegations.
"Young athletes have to be strengthened," said Michale Hölz, head of the board of trustees for Germany's National Doping Agency. "We do not need just responsible citizens, we also need responsible athletes."
T-Mobile sponsoring problem
German sports goods maker Adidas also announced Wednesday that it is unlikely to act as a sponsor of the German T-Mobile cycling team beyond 2008 due to doping in the sport.
"I cannot imagine this to happen right now," Adidas boss Herbert Hainer told Wednesday's edition of the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung daily. "We want to see success in the fight against doping and the clear will of all involved to act. Then an extension is theoretically possible."
Hainer said Adidas could end their engagement instantly if there are new doping cases in the team.
T-Mobile earlier this year fired German rider Patrick Sinkewitz over a positive test and Ukrainian rider Serhiy Honchar over suspicious test results.