North Korea's women's football team coach initially blamed his team's poor performance at the Women's World Cup 2010 in Germany upon the fanciful claim that a number of their players were struck by lighting. They finished 13th. At the first game 2 of their players tested positive for a banned performance enhancing substance steroid. Before the final group game further tests were carried out and 3 further players were caught in relation to the same substance. The Koreans now blamed an alternative remedy Chinese medicine - the extract of a gland from the musk deer for this further mishap. The Koreans were fined the equivalent of their prize money for the tournament and banned from the World Cup until 2015. Individual players received lengthy bans.
Nonetheless North Korea have qualified at the expense of Australia for London 2012. The key match took place just weeks after the ban was imposed upon North Korea in respect of the World Cup. How can this be? Apparently and according to FIFA this is because bans relating to teams only relate to the competition in which the infringements occurred. So the players are banned and miss the Olympics. The team does not. Australia has nowhere to appeal and WADA, who do, have chosen not to do so arguing that it is a matter for FIFA. This represents a nadir in the fight against drugs. One would hope for a noisy unwelcome for the Koreans in London, but given the restrictions on protest at the Olympics this is unlikely to discomfort them greatly. At least the coach was suspended for 6 years.
Any athlete found to be using any form of performance enhance drug should face a lifetime ban from competition . It is unfathomable that Australia should be excluded from the Olympics because of a technicality . I would hope that a new level of drug nonacceptance is established in London. Thank you for highlighting the issue Mr Gibbs.
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