Newz Forum: OLYMPICS: USA relay team stripped of Gold Medals

The International Association of Athletic Federations on Sunday morning stripped the United States 4x400 metres relay team of their gold medal won at the Sydney Olympics four years ago.

The Americans included Jerome Young in their quartet in two of the preliminary rounds, despite the fact he had previously failed a drugs test for the banned steroid nandrolone.

BBC Sport

Young, who has protested his innocence, tested positive for nandrolone before the Olympics, but was exonerated by a USA Track and Field doping appeals board and allowed to compete in Sydney.

He did not run in the final, but was involved in the first round and semi-final.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport recently ruled that the 400m world champion should have been banned for two years, and should also lose his gold medal because of the positive dope test.

IAAF spokesman Nick Davies said the IAAF council had decided that any such ban should also have applied to relay running.

I agree that if they're guilty then the punishment fits the crime, but why does it take four years to come to this decision?

This made me think, it seems just about everything these days has some kind of scandal involved with it, whether it be college football or figure skating. Do you think there are more scandals in sports now than ever or do you think it's about the same but it's so magnified now because of the media.

when i first read this report the fact that it took 4 years also got my attention...infractons like this should be dealt at the time and not allowed to linger...why not a pre olympic drug test for ALL atheletes, as well as a post event test, this might deter some of the cheating but then again do we actually think that a small lab (balco) is the only one like it in the world? how many others are producing chemicals that no one even knows about much less has developed a test for.....that said i think the root of the problem once again is money, when a high school kid can sign a shoe contract, which will pay him more money than we will see in our lifetimes, before he ever plays a pro game the pressure to excell is tremendous, i say because of this the cheating is more widespread than ever before and i am afraid that it is more prevelant than any of us can imagine

Unfortunately, you are probably correct, TJ. With the prevelance of cheating and scandals these days, I sometimes wonder why I follow sports.