Cat and Mouse games !

The announcement by the Australian Crime Commission that the use of performance enhancing drugs was rife across all Australian sporting codes came as a thunderbolt from a clear blue sky.   Not only did the ACC  claim drug use was rampant, it insisted that organised crime was involved - and suggested that it had evidence of match fixing.

This created world headlines.   Sporting fans here held their breath - waiting to hear which codes were involved - and speculating on the naming of clubs and individuals.   Then came the anti-climax.    The ACC passed the buck to the anti doping ASADA and suggested that there was a huge load of investigative work to be done before things became clearer.

There seems to be a clear line of relevance to the events that brought down world champion cyclist Lance Armstrong.   Armstrong recently went on the Oprah Winfrey show and confessed that he did use performance enhancing drugs, but he could also claim to be the most successful drug user in the sporting world because he had never failed a doping test.   He was stripped of seven Tour de France titles without a " smoking gun " revelation from the thousands of tests administered to him over years of competition as cycling's leading winner.

Innuendo linked Armstrong to drug use and a clever tactic was used to bring him undone.  Members of his team and competitors were urged to admit to their drug use with the inducement of soft penalties for early confession.   Those that did were then pressured to implicate Armstrong,  and in this way a compelling case was compiled containing statutory declarations from witnesses who swore that they had seen Armstrong use illegal drugs.   It was this that Cycling used to condemn Armstrong, despite his denials.

Perhaps the ACC is employing this tactic to flush out drug use in Australian sport.  There have already been exhortations for the guilty to " turn themselves in " and suggestions that confession will get a more sympathetic     response than " waiting for the police to knock on your door. "  Some would call this a " Cat and Mouse " game while others may describe it as a " Fishing Expedition " !

This could be a very clever way of creating the panic that results in minor drug cheats throwing themselves on the mercy of the ACC, and then being used to implicate others.   This tactic was prevalent during the Armstrong enquiry, and it resulted in the sport claiming the scalp of it's popular leader - and drawing what many will see as a line under the past.

There are signs that we do have a drug problem in sport - but so has the rest of the world.  Europe is reeling over claims of Soccer match fixing.  Concern is being shown at the huge amounts wagered on sporting events by gambling casinos located in a clutch of Asian countries - and here in Australia the statistics of Customs drug seizures is alarming.

Peptides are the latest wonder drug to enhance performance without leaving a trace.    Seizures increased from 2493 in 2009/10 to 8314 in 2011/12.   Obviously, these are probably only the tip of the iceberg - but it would be naive to think that their use was restricted to just the body building industry.

If this public statement is an ACC tactic to flush information out into the open it does so at the risk of causing great harm to our Australian sporting reputation.    We are being branded as " cheats " on the world stage, and wherever our teams play in the world there will be an undercurrent of suspicion.

In fairness to all, it is time that the suspected codes are named - and those suspected of guilt are given the opportunity to publicly express their defence.   Anything less - is un-Australian !