Drugs, Sport and Politics

The overlap between politics and sport usually covers support for major event bids, such as the Olympics and World Cup, and limited discussions of the value of sports sanctions against Zimbabwe under Mugabe or the USSR in 1980. I think there is another one that is in the news, today. Politicians should advocate a move to criminalise the use of performance enhancing drugs in sport.

The case of Dwain Chambers is a sad one for British athletics. Last night, Chambers completed his comeback with a silver-medal winning performance in the 60m at the World Indoor Championships, having completed his ban for the use of perfomance enhancing drugs, which he both admitted to and apologised for. Sadly, Chambers had also said that he had retired from the sport two years ago. This meant that he was not subjected to the regieme of random and out-of-season testing since that, which means we cannot be sure that he has not relapsed. There is no indication that he has, mind you, only that he has not been held under the same scrutiny as those he is competing against.

I no longer believe that a ban from the sport is enough of a punishment for taking drugs in sport.We too often refer to it as “cheating”, which suggests that the damage to the spirit of sport is the extent of the harm done.

Another important issue is that he acted in a way that not only cheated athletics fans and broke the rules of the game, he also materially damaged those he competed against who were denied prize money along with medals, titles and the sponsorship deals that can come with them. If it is right to imprison perpetrators of other “no harm” crimes, such as fraud and white-collar City crimes, then the same can be said here, too. 

By coincidence, US sprinter, Marion Jones, began her jail sentence, today. She was not imprisoned for taking drugs, but she did at least face a serious term for lying to investigators about using them. It is a start that the UK could learn from, but I believe the offence itself should be enough.

It has also emerged that it may be possible Chambers to challenge the life ban he still faces from the British Olympic Association, which means he cannot represent Britain at the Olympics. The defence that may be used is that the ban limits the ability for Chambers to carry out his trade. Good. He abused the position he was in and forfeited the right he had to practise his trade. Other criminals face lifetime bans for cheating the markets (insider-trading, for example) and the consequences are no less severe here than in finance cases. 

The law should not be changed, retrospectively, to allow for charges to be brought against Chambers. But they should be changed so that charges can be brought against those that come after him. If the UK wants to be sure that the utmost is being done to prevent drug abuse among British sportsmen and against those coming to the country in 2012, then we should ensure that they understand if they cheat and are caught, they will go to prison.

It is the only fair punishment for those that deprive others of what they rightly deserve.