by Larry Eder
Seb Coe, Paula Radcliffe, photo by PhotoRun.net
This is a good piece on the IAAF President, and his desire to focus on the future:http://www.insidethegames.biz/
The truth is, I am very doubtful that the IAAF President will be able to focus on the future for some time to come. It is one thing to report the news, and it another to focus on the negative coming from the IAAF. The federation, in some ways, has not really helped itself. However, there seems to be a near sport in trying to push Seb Coe to resign.
On January 14-15, WADA should release their second part of the report on the IAAF. My guess is that it will lay much blame on the IAAF for not reporting issues with Russia earlier, as well as issues with federations who are falling behind in testing or, barely have legitimate testing at all (Kenya, Ethiopia, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, Turkey, Jamaica are the main focus).
In such situations, I can see the late James Dunaway reminding me to be a critical observer and not a cynical one. Remember that some athletes and their entourages see athletics as merely a business and that they see a great chance in avoiding detection.
I also understand the IAAF wanting to respond to all of the accusations. It must be exhausting just to deal with it on a daily basis. But, at times, responding to all of the accusations makes no sense. There was a huge problem, whether it was at top, bottom, middle or all over.
Most of the people I have met at the IAAF are hard working, underpaid and loyal to the sport. For the extortion to work, the fewer the people who knew, the better chance the cover up would endure. Think about it for a moment!
The IAAF reporting on the dopers in 2009 right after blood passports began collecting information? That makes some sense, but, my guess is, much of the issue is how long it takes to collect data so that a cheat is pushed out of the sport.
Seb Coe is in a thankless job. He seems to still want to clean up our sport. I welcome his ideas and his desire.
I love athletics. I have to think how many times I see a performance and wonder, if I just viewed a race that was the product of hard work, and clean living or doping. It is hard.
For our sport to grow, for our sport to thrive, we have to up the game and up the doping standards, while keeping the organization as transparent as possible.
Good luck, Lord Coe!
