Quotes without Comment

From Michael Hiltzik's LA Times series, part 1 and part 2.

The less discretion there is in the finding of a doping offense, the better it is.

Mr. Pound

[WADA policy states that every athlete is responsible for everything he or she ingests or applies to the body. In the case of adulterated supplements], If you didn't know what was in there, it's your own damn fault.

Mr. Pound

For people who have never had to deal with something like this, it's hard to grasp what it takes away from you. You have no idea what happened. You have no control over the fact that they are going to announce to the entire public that Rachael Burke, this girl that everyone has seen grow up in the spotlight, has tested positive for steroids. The next day, you have to walk on the pool deck and people are saying, 'I wonder if that's why you were so good when you were 8 years old.' You're accused and convicted without a chance to defend yourself.

- Rachael Burke, swimmer

We're not in this to falsely accuse.

Travis Tygart, USADA head counsel.

You have a closed system where very few people in the world know what the science is, and the system has a vested interest to make sure its findings are confirmed. The lab should just be a fact-gatherer, but the WADA system is designed in a way that the labs are not just objective fact gatherers, but part of the body of prosecution.

David Black, Commercial Lab Director

In their opening and closing statements, USADA said they were going to prove me a cheater. It's a war in there, and you're fighting for your character and your integrity.

David Vencil, swimmer

The rules are designed to make it as easy as possible to convict an athlete. Their tests are presumed to be scientifically valid. It's assumed that their labs did everything perfectly. And they have no obligation to provide you with documentation to rebut these presumptions.

Howard Jacobs, defense attorney

These are the same old tired arguments that we've heard for six years, and it's the same defense counsel who bring them up

Terrence Madden, USADA CEO

If you're a clean athlete, you have nothing to worry about. We don't proceed if it's not a doping case.

Travis Tygart

It's not serving the purpose it was meant to [the hearing]— to give the athlete a real opportunity to be heard

Anonymous CAS Arbitrator, fearing controversy.

When any organization, including [USADA] turns this fight against doping on innocent athletes, that behavior is unacceptable.

Christopher Campbell, arbitrator

The athlete is being held accountable, but the lab can have a series of small errors and is not held to a strict liability. No deficiency in the lab performance ever seems to rise to the level of impeaching their finding.

David Black

We are fact-finders, and we apply the law within the narrow strictures that we are given.

Maidie Oliveau, arbitrator

The system, as a system, is a pretty good one. It can be tweaked here or there, but we're not sitting down with a blank sheet of paper and redesigning the entire world anti-doping system.

Mr. Pound

[end]