The International Olympic Committe (IOC) is pressuring the United Kingdom (UK) to criminalize the personal use of anabolic steroids prior to the 2012 London Olympics. The mere possession of anabolic steroids and/or the importation of steroids for personal use is not an offense under UK law. Consequently, athletes (and bodybuilders) in the United Kingdom can technically use anabolic steroids and performance enhancing drugs (PEDs) without violating UK law. But this may soon change in the next few years if the IOC has their way (”IOC pressure Great Britain to change doping laws ahead of London Olympics 2012,” November 8).
The IOC are growing increasingly frustrated at Britain’s refusal to introduce legislation to outlaw the possession, supply and distribution of performance-enhancing drugs.
Their stance leaves them out of step with other European countries such as Sweden, France, Italy, Greece and Germany where anti-doping laws mean athletes and their suppliers can go to jail.
Great Britain’s refusal to blindly follow the trend towards the internationalization of steroid law taking hold in the rest of the European Union presents a significant threat to the moral authority of the IOC. The IOC has promoted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) code as the guide for certain moral offenses that should be criminalized. Read more
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.
