Who Sport What?

You Can Run...

How many times has Dick Pound said it: "You can run, but you can't hide." ?

While nobody doubts that the world of Olympic sport has taken its drug problem seriously for some time, the U.S. Federal government long seemed to be leaving plenty of places to hide. Bush's State of the Union mention of steroids, oft-derided for not having had much of an impact, seems to have changed that. Federal agencies don't turn on a dime but clearly a culture-shift happened a couple of years ago whereby investigations into performance-enhancing drugs moved up the list of priorities. And now we're seeing the results.   They're impressive, international in their reach, and if records have been kept of customers, they are likely to result in many athletes facing serious problems. 143 arrests and 56 labs in the U.S. 26 raids in Denmark. Five labs closed in Germany.

The war on drugs in general is not one that will ever be completely won or lost. For sport though, it's  good to finally have some serious help on the side of keeping athletes and kids healthy.

Skateboarding And The Law

I've been busy of late, talking to skateboarders, those who would represent them and the associated industry. More American kids skate than play basketball "the national pastime". The golden age of skatepark construction seems to be upon us. Municipalities are finally providing well-lit places to skate, instead of just banning one of the few ways in which masses of teens actually get out and exercise.

Hot Springs, Arkansas, however, seems to be a little behind the zeitgeist. There is no skatepark there. On June 21, Go Skateboarding Day, some kids were skating in a downtown area where a ban is in place. Below is what happened next. There are still some places in need of an attitude change.