Sunday Roundup

In case you have missed it be sure to read Floyd Landis' op-ed piece,"Dopers Must be Stoned" (or so says Patrice Brunet) published here recently.

WADA Watch has been issuing a series of fascinating reports from the Madrid anti-doping summit, here he reports on the election of the new WADA president, and then says it's a "rap!"

News
The CyclingNews sums up the final day of the WADA summit in Madrid reporting on the controversial election of John Fahey as the new president of the organization succeeding Dick Pound, and on the adoption of a new code which has more latitude in some areas, and harsher punishments in others. In other news, the always quotable Greg LeMond says he is glad that cycling finally exploded so that it can begin from the bottom and build itself up once again. LeMond is featured in an article from the Tucson Citizen done before his participation in yesterday's El Tour de Tucson:

"I've known for many years it was a time bomb that would eventually go off," said three-time Tour de France winner LeMond about the use of doping to the Tuscon Citizen. "And I'm quite happy it has gone off. Now the sport can start over again, go

The Velonews' Charles Pelkey reports at length on the election of new WADA president John Fahey at yesterday's closing session of the anti-doping summit in Madrid, and provides just one more quote from effervescent lame duck president Dick Pound:

"The next version of WADA will not feature the shy, retiring and diplomatic leadership that I might have personified these past years," Pound said. "No more Mr. Nice Guy. So if you're out there cheating, your days are numbered."

ESPN reprints the Reuters version of the final day of the summit in Madrid.

The NY Times Juliet Macur also reports on yesterday's final session of the anti-doping summit in Madrid where a new WADA code was adopted which includes the elimination of the "B" sample "grace period":

Also new to the code is that athletes will be suspended from competition immediately after their A sample — the first of the two blood or urine samples — tests positive for a banned substance or method. Athletes who miss three or more drug tests within an 18-month period will be charged with a doping violation.

[outgoing president] Dick Pound lauded the new code, but said it would by no means stamp out doping in sports. He said battling cheats would require “unwavering vigilance and the willingness to tackle those people who are the sociopaths of sport.”

The NY Times also has an interesting piece about steroid fighting agent Jeff Novitsky who has been dogging athletes suspected of using PEDS for many months, and whose work will help lay the basis foe the much anticipated Mitchell Report on PED use..

Bloomberg neatly summarizes the changes made yesterday to the WADA code.


Blogs
Provocative Future feels that the indictment of Barry Bonds is just as likely to end steroid use in baseball as the Floyd Landis saga ended PED use in cycling.

One Man's Vigil says HELP!