Mercedes Coghen, the Spanish Olympic Committe bid chief, is aggressively lobbying to create national steroid laws in Spain consistent with anti-doping rules used by the International Olympic Committee and the World Anti-Doping Organization (”Spain’s anti-doping drive boosts Madrid bid,” August 14).

“We needed to have a (anti-doping) law that is in the same line as the International Olympic Committee. They (sports authorities) have been working very, very hard on this and this is very good for Madrid 2016,” Coghen told Reuters in an interview.

Spain has seen its fair share of steroid and doping scandals involving steroid doctors collaborating with athletes and allegedly monitoring their use of performance enhancing drugs. Spanish authorities hope to rehabilitate their tarnished image to improve Madrid’s chances at winning the bid to host the 2016 Olympic Games. An aggressive anti-doping effort, including attempts to legislate steroids and PEDs out of sports, is apparently a major part of this initiative.

The “internationalization of steroid law” predicted by Philip Sweitzer is becoming a reality as various countries including Austria, Greece, and now Spain are conforming to the steroid laws of the United States.