WADA and Pound going the way of MarthaBurk?

[SirFozzie]

God I find this guy annoying.. is his shrillness turning doping into a joke rather then a serious issue?

MONTREAL -- The NHL is trying to fool the public with a flawed anti-doping program, the chairman of the World Anti-Doping agency said Tuesday.

Dick Pound said league statements Monday that there were no positive tests among 1,406 administered during the season were meaningless given the loopholes in its anti-doping program.

"All we can do is keep drawing the attention of the public to its shortcomings and make sure the public understands that it's being fooled by the NHL when it says it has a serious testing program," Pound said.

He said the NHL does not test for stimulants and other banned substances and does not test at times when players are likely to be caught, such as during offseason training.

Pound did not back off a statement he made in November that up to a third of NHL players may be using performance-enhancing drugs "if you include the full range of drugs, most of which they don't test for.

"I think they should make clear what they test for and what they don't. And make it clear when they're testing out of competition and in competition. And make it clear they don't test before and after games. And they don't test in the offseason and that they only test for steroids."

NHL players, management personnel and representatives of the NHL Players Association expressed delight when it was made known that none of the tests taken since January were positive.

And many mentioned Pound, saying the results proved his estimate was wrong.

NHLPA executive director Ted Saskin said Pound "should be embarrassed by his baseless and uninformed allegations.

"I would hope that in the future he refrains from commenting on NHL players since his last remarks were so off-base."

Pound said the league's program lacked transparency and that it should make public its "whole testing protocol," including who is administering the tests, how they were taken and which players were tested at what times.

The league said each of the league's roughly 700 players was tested up to two times between Jan. 15 and the end of the regular season. The tests were administered by the independent lab Comprehensive Drug Testing of Long Beach, Calif.

The program is run jointly by the league and the players association. It is the first time the league has had anti-doping tests.

Players were not tested for the drugs on WADA's list of banned substances that are prohibited only during competition, such as stimulants. Some cold remedies that contain stimulants, such as ephedrine, are suspected to be widely used by hockey players.

Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner, said the test results showed that "doping is not a problem in our sport.

"We're pleased but not surprised by the results," he said.

[Subby]

Pound might sound like an alarmist, but I find it kind of hard to believe that no one in the NHL is using performace-enhancing substances.

[Shkspr]

Originally Posted by Subby

Pound might sound like an alarmist, but I find it kind of hard to believe that no one in the NHL is using performace-enhancing substances.

There's no reliable drug test that can detect back bacon. Every result gives false positives from ham.

[SirFozzie]

Just the Armstrong thing, now this, he seems to be chicken little.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by Subby

Pound might sound like an alarmist, but I find it kind of hard to believe that no one in the NHL is using performace-enhancing substances.

Agreed. But to pull a number out of your ass like that, and make public statements including a specific, yet baseless number like that is irresponsibility unworthy of the position this stooge has been entrusted with.

I see his public perception shifting from the head of the organization dedicated to eradicating performance enhancing drugs from sports worldwide to "the Canadian who cried wolf." He has turned that organization into a joke IMO, by calling every negative test flawed in some way. He needs to at least consider that there is a possibility some athletes somewhere in the world are clean.

[Subby]

Originally Posted by Samdari

Agreed. But to pull a number out of your ass like that, and make public statements including a specific, yet baseless number like that is irresponsibility unworthy of the position this stooge has been entrusted with.

People will believe what they want to believe. Don't forget the amount of flack Canseco got about his steroid allegations two years ago. His claims seemed absolutely ridiculous then. Now, not so much.

On the other hand, I completely agree with you that it is unprofessional for him to pull numbers out of his ass like that. Criticize the testing program, but stop coming up with baseless numbers...

[SirFozzie]

Plus he can't take criticism: The Armstrong case was an example. The guy rightly castigated the Cyclist bosses and the newspaper, all the evidence was tainted, etcetera... and the WADA could have used that as a call to better keep samples for better tests down the road, and to better keep track of the samples..

But instead they castigate the report because it didn't kowtow to their pipedream that Armstrong was dirty.

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

But instead they castigate the report because it didn't kowtow to their pipedream that Armstrong was dirty.

Yeah, another example of his umprofessionalism. He should use his position to advance its intended purpose, not pursue a personal vendetta.

As for believing what I want to believe, Subby, I never said that I believe the NHL to be completely clean, just that Pound was an idiot for the way he handles things. IMO, he should be helping organizations implement effective testing programs, but not publicly blasting them every time they do not do things exactly the way he says. Contrary to his (apparent) belief, his organization was not ceded ultimate control over how every athletic foundation in the world ran their drug program. Becuase the IOC and IAAF wanted to create a global oversight organization does not mean that every professional league on earth has to answer to that organization. He throws a public hissy fit every time a league does not. That kind of behavior is a joke, he is a joke, and he is making WADA a joke.

[TroyF]

Originally Posted by Samdari

Yeah, another example of his umprofessionalism. He should use his position to advance its intended purpose, not pursue a personal vendetta.

As for believing what I want to believe, Subby, I never said that I believe the NHL to be completely clean, just that Pound was an idiot for the way he handles things. IMO, he should be helping organizations implement effective testing programs, but not publicly blasting them every time they do not do things exactly the way he says. Contrary to his (apparent) belief, his organization was not ceded ultimate control over how every athletic foundation in the world ran their drug program. Becuase the IOC and IAAF wanted to create a global oversight organization does not mean that every professional league on earth has to answer to that organization. He throws a public hissy fit every time a league does not. That kind of behavior is a joke, he is a joke, and he is making WADA a joke.

Well said. He's on a witch hunt and he's out ot destroy anyone he feels is dirty. If they passed 200 tests, then something is wrong with the tests. If a sample was tampered with or not kept care of properly, it doesn't matter as long as the test shows what he wants.

He throws out numbers as though he has factual information to back them up. At least Canseco was in a locker room and saw things occuring. My guess is this asshat hasn't even seen 50% of the sports he wants to bend to his will.

He's actually hurting his own cause by acting like this. I can't even giggle at his name anymore. The guy is a clown.

[JeffR]

Pound very, very badly wants to be the president of the IOC (he finished third in the election Jacques Rogge won.) Either he figures keeping in the media spotlight will get him the job next time, or like any good bureaucrat he's working as hard as he can to defend and build up WADA, since that's his power base right now. Either way, I doubt that much good will come of it.

[kcchief19]

I suppose this is predictable, but to me it seems hypocritical to rip Pound for calling out the NHL but no one is calling out the NHL for making what seems to at face value to be a ludicrous claim from the NHL. No one seems to believe the NHL, but yet people are jumping on Pound.

I think he's doing exactly what his job is -- he's the had of the World Anti-Doping Agency. That seems to be the agenda he's pushing to me. That's his job.

Based on what I've seen and read thus far, I think Pound has every reason to be pounding the drum's his pounding. The "clearing" of Armstrong was very bizarre, and I don't blame Pound for continuing to harp on it. I think the fact that Pound is taking on someone as popular as Armstrong is what is attracting the criticism.

I have no doubt that Dick Pound knows more about sports doping than everyone posting in this thread combined with Jose Canseco, regardless of his agenda.

I realize that getting steroids and amphetamines out of sports isn't exactly on the level of civil rights, but I think it's a worthwhile cause and I think it's unfortunate that people dismiss Pound as shrill simply because they don't like that he targets a sport or an athlete they like.

[SirFozzie]

no, we dismiss him as shrill because he insists everyone is guilty, hang the evidence.

[Julio Riddols]

His name is Dick Pound, and that alone is enough to discredit him, his family, his pets and everything he stands for, IMO.

If he was a pornstar though..

[Samdari]

Originally Posted by kcchief19

I think he's doing exactly what his job is -- he's the had of the World Anti-Doping Agency. That seems to be the agenda he's pushing to me. That's his job.

No, his job is to police the organizations that have essentially "hired" WADA to police their sports, not to take random potshots at private organizations that have nothing to do with his. The NHL has no obligation to WADA, no relationship with WADA, no responsibility to act in a manner of which WADA approves. They can make their own drug policy the way they see fit, and Dick Pound and WADA should stay the fuck out of it.

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by SirFozzie

no, we dismiss him as shrill because he insists everyone is guilty, hang the evidence.

DING!

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Samdari

No, his job is to police the organizations that have essentially "hired" WADA to police their sports, not to take random potshots at private organizations that have nothing to do with his. The NHL has no obligation to WADA, no relationship with WADA, no responsibility to act in a manner of which WADA approves. They can make their own drug policy the way they see fit, and Dick Pound and WADA should stay the fuck out of it.

DING DING!!

[RendeR]

Originally Posted by Julio Riddols

His name is Dick Pound, and that alone is enough to discredit him, his family, his pets and everything he stands for, IMO.

If he was a pornstar though..

FUNNY!...but not DING worthy.

[nilodor]

Originally Posted by Subby

Pound might sound like an alarmist, but I find it kind of hard to believe that no one in the NHL is using performace-enhancing substances.

I've got to imagine something like EPO or HGH would be the drug of choice for the NHL. Something that increases endurance, injury recovery and doesn't hurt you with the weight gain. Well I guess the weight gain would only come if you were training with heavy weights, so maybe some steroids would be benificial here? The drugs of choice should be something like what cyclists or soccer players would take.