Currently Australia , a nation that leads in many Sports , has found that there are some "Athletes " with a "Tainted Background " . It is necessary for discovery and reconciliation rather than retribution ! This proposal may not be the " IDEAL WAY FORWARD " but , i hope it creates the impetus that generates the result !
SPORT Stars are " Idolised " in Australia , but , recently we are seeing " Tainted Results " and now there is "Suspicion " , perhaps unfounded , in many cases , regarding Sport Results .
Letter ;
Your Excellency
Cycling Australia is now at a crossroad ! Senator Lundy , as Minister for Sport , is working on trying to establish a way forward . As a Race Cycling Fan , with countless efforts of riding the routes of the “ Le tour , Giro & Vuelta “ , over 15 seasons I believe that what I propose here has a chance of assisting an early resolution of the quandary /quagmire into which the “ UCI “ has led professional cycling !
As the representative of the Queen and thus Head of the Australian Federation , I would ask that you direct your Government to set up a facility for All Sports Athletes to declare their Past and Present usage of “ PED Products “! To enable this to take place , I would suggest that you appoint a panel that would operate with the laws governing “ Statuatory Declarations “ and perhaps the “ Official Secrets Act “
What I envisage is that “ Sports Australia “ will declare ALL Athletes require a NEW Licence from the 1st January 2013 , should they wish to participate in any Sport activity at Top level for their State , National or Internationally ! Most of these Athletes will already be subject to “ Out of Competition “ Doping Testing & whereabouts reporting requirements .
What will be required for a 2013 Licence will be a signed “ Stat. Dec. sworn before a “ JP “ or such other person . This “ Stat Dec “ will be passed to the “ Panel of the Commission established where they will note , in secret session , the “ Have not “ or “ Have Done “ declaration in respect of their History in relation to “ Doping /PED usage “. The panel will file the “ Stat.Dec. “ for the date that the WADA Amnesty is implemented . That WADA will have to eventually call an “ Amnesty “ is a given , when you read the “ Donati Report “ , it will become apparent how deeply Criminal Elements influence the careers of too many Sports People .
Because what this “ Commission “ will be doing is so unusual and the ongoing “ peace of Mind of the Athletes “ will be at risk , I believe that the “ Official Secrets Act “ will be required to warn off the Media and any others from snooping and revealing the information .
Those sighting the “ Sworn Stat. Decs. “ should be limited to people such as the “ Head of the Secret Service , Head of Armed Forces OR people of that stature . That their secretarial staff are involved in the tabulation of the information is a given , but storage of the “ Hard Copy “ will require considerable thought .
Each Athlete , both past and present , will be aware that their Sport has “ suspicious people “ that they choose to avoid . They may well wish to voice their misgivings , and report these suspicions . Thus there should be a facility available to accept and deal with matters raised in confidence with no risk to those raising the suspicion .
As stated earlier the “ Stat. Dec.” should be specific to be of any value , I suggest a sample :
####
“ I the undersigned ………. State , at risk of the 4 years Imprisonment , that I
DID NOT USE PED Products . That I will not USE any in the future .
DID USE PED Products . Will when called on at a later date , provide ALL relevant info to the Panel .
Signed by Athlete
Witnessed by “ JP ( other ) “. “
###
When those Athletes subject to “ Whereabouts & Out of Competition testing provide these “ Stat.Dec. s “ to the Panel , their Sports Federation will be advised to issue the 2013 Licence . There will be no disclosure of any facts ascertained . Those living Overseas will have to be considered also , since I am unsure of the arrangements that will be necessary to enforce compliance .
I would suggest that the “ Panel “ created will be from areas outside the Australian Olympic Committee since I believe that a “ Fresh Approach “ is required to solve the problems Sport has encountered up to now .
As regards the Cycling side of this matter , may I suggest that you call on Steve Hodge and Matt White for their imput . Both stepped away from their positions before they were called to do so , and to me it demonstrates credibility and transparency . That they have encountered the problems to which All Top Professional Sports People have been subjected is a factor worth consideration .
When WADA announces their " Amnesty for ALL SPORT or whatever " , the panel of the Commission can then decide HOW they will disclose their " Evidence "! May i suggest that they advise each individual that has " admitted Wrongdoing " a course of action that would be most appropriate for their individual circumstances ? Should " Steve Hodge " been one of these , the Panel would suggest he announce resignation from his Posts before the next Election to the Committees of which he was a member . No point pointing the finger and revealing 20 year old info , unless he was actively coaching /training Elite Athletes . With " Matt White " , my suggestion would be that the Panel ask/tell him to step into a less direct role that allowed less direct influence on the day to day racing . Perhaps a " role "similar to that Alain Peiper has just taken up recently ? Should Alain Peiper have declared a " I Doped Stat. Dec. " , he would be required to avoid taking a future job as a " Director Sportif " .
Treating people with respect , even though they made bad choices in their racing career , can only be to the future benefit of Cycling Australia . Knowing their backstory , allows people to glean the knowledge that they acquired as they pursued their career ! Any Administrative personnel in the Hierarchy of Cycling Australia , at ALL levels , State, National & International , need to declare their Cycling Race history , to ascertain their past and thus remove them from areas of contention in decision making , such as " Imposition of Sanctions " against Racers found wanting through " PED Product " usage .
So many things to be considered , many beyond my competence to discuss let alone offer an opinion .
TIME is passing and ACTION IS URGENT !
With respect Your Excellency , you are the ONLY Australian that can create what is required to solve this continuing problem that too many Athletes , both Past and Present , have had to endure to make their mark in their chosen Profession !
Australia as a “ Sporting Nation “ , gets results far above it’s place in the World . It has a Sporting Legacy , second to none , and when Australia leads in “ Cleaning House “ , other Nations will employ the same tactics to achieve a similar result .
The People of the “ Armed Forces “ are HEROES “ , but , the general public “ idolise “ their Sports Stars ! Let’s make them PROUD of the 2013 Results , rather than wonder “ who is Tainted and what result lacks lustre ?
Sincerely
Skippy Mc Carthy
Addendum on 24th July2013 :
Today Stuart O'Grady announces his Back Story to the Media !
My blog on this : www.Skippyaus.blogspot.com/Stueyogrady link : http://t.co/jZwpBnJOxP
Found this item on SBS/cyclingcentral :
Jenene 14:03 AEST, Sun 11 Nov 2012
I am not against Kluas being re elected, in fact I think there is a lot of merit in him suggesting an amnesty. This could allow everyone involved in doping to own up, we then have the slate wiped clean. Then any one caught doping after that gets a life ban.
