Most adults would not think to call a parent and let them know they are going to stay late at a friends house or give an address to a boyfriend or girlfriends house in case they stayed the night. If you decided to spend a weekend camping this weekend would you email your location before you left? All of this in case someone needs to find you to take a urine sample. These are the things we ask of any high level athlete in the United States. The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is like an athlete’s over protective parent. In order to participate in any sport on the USA team you are required to be enrolled in the USADA program. This entails leaving a day-to-day, hour-to-hour form of where you will be. If you are not where you said you would be you need to email them and tell them where you are. If you forget to update USADA and they show up to the location you said you would be at there are consequences, a missed test. If you acquire 3 missed tests in a 18 month period you get a 2 year suspension.
Here is the USADA web site showing the whereabouts obligations. I like how they call it "whereabouts" like that makes it less creepy someone knows where you are so they can come collect your pee
Whereabouts Filings Obligations
No way!! Perhaps more convenient, but WAY too invasive (in many ways). Just imagine if the system was hacked and your whereabouts where accessible to some crazed nut job to harass you or your family.
ReplyDeleteWay to close to 'Big Brother' for my liking. What about a key chain/cell attachment that does the same thing, but can be ditched/replaced if necessary? I would be alright with that.
Having worked only within the system and never as a part of the system (athlete) I can accept the in season whereabouts necessities, even while having to continually remind my athletes to have the info up to date but the out of competitive season requirements are over the top.
ReplyDeleteChipping is the wrong way to tackle the issue of anti-doping and doping control. You may choose to chip your pet whether dog or cat because you feel you are the master and they the pet however right or wrong that is but the real reason is because as an owner you cant remember to close the gate/door and they are left to follow their natural inquisitive nature.
Having been one of those athletes that had to fill out that paper work and update USADA constantly, I have no problem with the chip. They already know way too much about me....why not just let them track me down themselves. It would have saved me a lot of stress.
ReplyDelete