Bill introduced to make doping in worldwide events a crime
This photograph taken on February 7, 2018, shows the production of BEREG-KIT for drug and doping control, at Berlinger AG facility in Ganterschwil, which are scheduled to be used for the collection of urine samples at the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) said February 1, 2018, that it had confirmed that new generation drug-testing kits could be susceptible to tampering and recommended use of an older model at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. With the Winter Games due to open on February 9, the International Olympic Committee had asked the agency to look into the matter after a laboratory in Cologne reported the newer bottles could be opened after being frozen. The glass containers had been touted as the next generation of sample bottles since being released last year, part of the ongoing effort to avoid a repeat of the Russian doping scandal that dogged the 2014 Winter Olympics and still reverberates today. But WADA said the older BEREG-KIT 2016 — released for the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro — should be used instead.
/ AFP PHOTO / MICHELE LIMINA
WASHINGTON — U.S. lawmakers introduced a bill on Tuesday that would make it a crime to use or distribute performance-enhancing drugs while competing in international sports events.
The bill in the House is named after Grigory Rodchenkov, the Russian lab director who blew the whistle on Russian cheating at the Sochi Olympics.
Penalties would include fines of up to $250,000 for individuals and prison sentences of up to 10 years for those who make, distribute or use banned substances at international events, such as the Olympics.
U.S. and foreign athletes would be subject to the law if competing in an event that includes four or more U.S. athletes and other athletes from three or more countries, even if the event is held outside the United States.
The bill cites the U.S. contribution to the World Anti-Doping Agency as justification for jurisdiction over events outside American borders.
The bill also would expand the timeframe for athletes and corporate sponsors who were cheated to file lawsuits seeking damages.
Other countries, including Germany, Italy and Kenya, have similar laws. U.S. authorities have long been hamstrung by limited legal options to prosecute doping cheats.
