World Champ Mellouli Tested Positive for Adderall Use
L’Equipe is at it again. The French Publication has once again pointed its finger in the doping controversy, and now the target is World 800m Freestyle Champion Oussama Mellouli, who, according to the paper, tested positive for amphetamine use at the US Open in November. The French paper that brought you the Lance Armstrong and Ian Thorpe drug controversy seems to have once again found a leak in the doping news front.
When interviewed by the French newspaper, Mellouli acknowledged the positive test but declared it was in no way an attempt to improve his swimming performance, but rather a result of taking a pill to stay awake for school. Mellouli stated that he ”took a pill that contained amphetamines. It’s called Adderall and a fellow student from the University (of Southern California) gave it to me. The night before I left for the US Open, I had a project to hand in.” He then took the pill to help him stay awake and concentrate. The International Swimming Federation has appealed to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to review the case, as it was discovered that the Tunisian Swimming Federation let Mellouli off with a warning.
Adderall is becoming an increasingly popular study drug around Universities all over the country, as it is prescribed for people with ADHD to help focus, and has a similar effect on most of those who take it.
I have to say that this is starting to look a little bit like the case of Canadian snowboarder Ross Rebagliati having his gold medal stripped (and then returned) for testing positive for Marijuana. I think Mellouli showed flagrantly poor judgement in illegally using a prescription substance, especially so close to a meet, but I don’t think many people would argue that Adderall is a performance enhancing drug (for swimming that is, it is academically enhancing). As such, if it is found that is why he tested positive, he should be allowed to retain the medals he won at Worlds (which he could have stripped).
Comment by Nathan
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 17:09
I guess I don’t see how, whether it’s truly performance enhancing or not, that it’s ok for an athlete to take a banned drug in any way. Especially if they admit it. You don’t have to agree with the rules, you do have to abide by them.
Comment by SwimVoodoo
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 17:19
I am familiar with Adderall though I’ve never used it … I’ve always relied on caffeine. Though the best advice is just to avoid all-nighters all together … especially not recommended on the eve of a swim meet.
I see no reason to doubt that Ous took the drug for his studies rather than his swimming as he would obtain little if any benefit the next day from Adderall. I can’t imagine staying up late before a meet would help matters either. However, in sports these days there is a policy of strict liability. Athletes are responsible for what they put into their bodies.
David cites the Canadian snowboarder … that was recreational use of cannabis which he tested positive for at the Nagano winter games. Two cases bear more similarity. The Romanian gymnast Andrea Raducan in Sydney and the Scots alpine skier Alain Baxter in Salt Lake … both had their medals stripped for taking medications for their ailments. Raducan was given a common cold medicine by the Romanian team doctor and tested positive for ephedrine. Baxter tested positive for a trace amount of methamphetamine from a Vicks Inhaler. Baxter’s ban was actually overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport but he never had his Bronze medal returned.
Although I’m somewhat sympathetic to Ous’s dilemma (only somewhat because it was incredibly naive for a top level swimmer to make such an error) in the interest of being even handed why should he be given the all clear or a slap on the wrist where other athletes have had to face the music?
My own personal belief is that substances such as ephedrine and amphetamines should not warrant the same penalties as steroids or EPO.
There is scant benefit from it and the effects are temporary. In most cases you’d have to take a large amount with a few hours before race time to receive any benefit. I’m not saying take them off the banned list just that FINA and other sporting bodies should have a more sensible approach.
People are attacking L’Equipe for reporting the news. I think they’re aiming their ire in the wrong direction. The paper certainly has connection(s) at CAS and/or FINA. I believe leaks should be addressed in the interest of privacy before a case is resolved. However, am I the only one uncomfortable with the idea of the Tunisian Body (or any national body) making the decisions? It creates the appearance of a conflict of interest. I think an independent body should be responsible for assessing penalties. I’m inclined to believe that Thorpe didn’t cheat but for domestic bodies to be entrusted with such authority is not wise. In fact had it been that way there’s every chance the Thorpe controversy would have never occurred.
Comment by Chris
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 17:45
All I have to say is wow. This situation is completely different than all the others alluded to in the article. I had no idea that Mellouli admits he used it. Let alone that I’m pretty sure what he did is illegal, the fact that he didn’t do it to boost his performance has no impact here. I’d love to hear what Kicker Vencill has to say about the situation. (DeckPass suggestion?)
Medicine has side effects. A side effect of stimulants is performance enhancement. If I remember, even large amounts of caffinee is banned. I take Adderall on prescription, and let me tell you that I hardly agree that it has no performance effects. It is a stimulant and I can’t describe exactly how I feel when I’m on it, I’ll just say that I’m sure I’d swim faster on it. I’d love to not have to deal with this side effect, but I need this medicine.
The fact that everyone is overusing Adderall is a seperate issue. There are a lot more people using Ecstacy than there used to be, does that make it OK? Adderall is not OTC for a reason. I have to take it just to have a short attention span compared to most people. Even writing this post while on Adderall took me over 1/2 a hour because of all the distractions. I would never have been able to write this without it.
I’m amazed that Tunisia was able to selectively apply a penalty. If the situation described in the article is correct, I think the ban should apply here. When I get pulled over for speeding, of course I’m going to say, “Sorry officer, I didn’t mean to.” but of course I did mean to speed. While the penalty for the speeding situation is somewhat up to the body supplying the punishment, in swimming it is not.
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I can’t stress the following point enough:
EVERYONE that will EVER test positive will have some excuse for it, and if we are going to get into the situation of changing the punishments based on that excuse, we might as well not test at all.
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Comment by julie
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 18:10
I dont have a view on Mellouli.
I find it strange for someone on adderall to be so critical of someone else using the same drug.
Comment by Chris
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 18:32
I’m critical of him for it because he is knowlingly using prescription drugs that are not prescribed for him (which I am not doing) which is a bonehead move for anyone,. Also, he is a world class athlete (which I am not) that knows what the rules are for drug tests.
This entire thing would be completely different if he were prescribed this medicine for an actual need and just forgot to fill out the paperwork.
Comment by SwimVoodoo
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 20:29
The use of Adderall on college campuses in the country has gotten out of control in my opinion. Now even some naive parents have been persuaded by high school students to obtain prescriptions. Doctors need to stop prescribing it to those that do not demonstrate a clear necessity for it.
Comment by Michael
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 22:02
My recollection of Oussama Mellouli’s 800-free swim was “Where did he dig to get that performance out of himself?” Looks like we may, I say, may, have at least a partial answer.
He admits to use of a drug that was NOT prescribed by a physician and which BTW is not to be used in FINA competition. Ergo, end of story; he should be sanctioned.
Chris, your honesty and personal comments are great! Teaching teens all day long who use this medication, I know a thing or two about how it acts, both positively and negatively. I think you may be in the BEST position to comment on Ous’s use of this drug.
Thank you!
Comment by Tony Austin
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 22:07
I have a question, how does a stimulate enhance performance? Isn’t the goal to keep your heart rate below the 220 BPM so you use less oxygen?
Comment by lala
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 22:33
Every time I see Ous on the podium is makes me happy. He works so hard in his swimming. And is so happy to be on the podium. He is not yet jaded about his abilities. I was screaming my lungs out for him in that 800. This was a really stupid mistake that he has made. I hope it doesn’t cost him everything. But really, even I know that you should not take other people’s prescriptions and I don’t get drug tested. The trouble with L’Equipe as I understand it, is that they are getting the names of the athletes, which are confidential, and spewing them everywhere. I am really disappointed with Ous. And like I said, I hope this risk has not cost him everything.
Comment by SwimVoodoo
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 22:40
Michael … It appears you haven’t followed Ous much.
Mellouli won two bronze medals at the Montreal World Championships in 2005 (in the 400IM and the 400 free). He finished that year ranked 3rd in the 400 (3:46.08). He didn’t swim too many LC 800s the last two years but his times aren’t out of range from his swimming accomplishments internationally or in college.
Taking Adderall or any substance you aren’t familiar with the night before a swim meet to stay awake is monumentally foolish for any drug tested athlete. But it’s just as foolish (if not moreso) to take said substance before the meet to enhance your performance when it will assuredly result in being flagged for a positive. Especially for a minor meet and when you’ve already qualified for the World Championships. That’s a rather poor risk/reward ratio. But maybe he is that foolish. We don’t know.
It is pure speculation for any of us to conclude whether taking Adderall was simply poor judgement or a deliberate attempt to cheat. But his intent is irrelevant. Strict liability applies to everyone.
Comment by Michael
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 22:47
SwimVoodoo: Oh, to the contrary. Having lived in Tunis, I saw him quite regularly — when he wasn’t in the USA or Europe, that is. And I never had an impression that he was “An 800 meters man.” And, he wasn’t!
That’s why I wrote in disbelief at what he did at FINA/Melbourne. The expert Australian commentators had EXACTLY the same reaction that I did. “Where’d he come from?”
Comment by SwimVoodoo
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 23:03
The Australian commentators had the same reaction to Leila Vaziri in the 50 backstroke. Mike McCann kept saying “but she’s a 100 meters specialist!” But they didn’t take into account that this meet was the first time in her life that she’d ever competed in a 50 back so she’d never had the opportunity to show her ability in the sprint dorsal. Mellouli’s winning time in the 800 is not incongruent with his swims in the 400 and 400IM from previous years. They are not the same event but it is not surprising that one would step up to do well in 800 free after swimming those times in those particular races.
Comment by Chris
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 00:54
Michael, (this is going to sound like a smart aleck comment but it is not meant to be)- Michael Phelps is not known as a 100 freestyler yet he had the fastest 100 freestyle at the meet. That’s why we swim the event instead of just going off entry times.
Comment by julie
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 00:58
Hopefully we can see Melouli’s mind altering drugged academic work on the evidence list..
In Xananadu did Khubla Khan….”.Oh sorry Prof - I now realize that is not the US constitution at all.”
Comment by Scott Morgan
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 01:54
Innocent until proven guilty? L’équipe exposé once again shows how the rights and confidentiality of swimmers’ (and other athletes’) are not being uphelp by our national and international doping bodies. For all of Dick Pound and WADA’s rhetoric, they still have not managed the basic: chain-of-evidence, upholding confidentiality aggreements–leak free, a consisitant plan for offenders and punishment, for appeal. SwimVoodoo’s point above is well taken. The reasonable excuse factor that allows so many exceptions is confusing to both the athletes and the public, especially when discussed in regards to an open file. Who is leaking this info? How can we even begin to think we are winning the doping battle when the regulatory organizations are so lack with the rules and there are so many contradictory, inconsistantly-adjudicated exceptions?
Melouli has been on my radar since before 2004, which showed he could compete well in any endurance event. Even his 15:18 in Athens, while not exceptional, goes a long way to explain his exceptional 800 three years later. I had him pegged as a major force both in Montreal and Melbourne.
I belive Ous’ rationale for the simple reason that amphetemines use has not been shown (with any significant statistical anomaly against control subjects) to improve performance over endurance events (Timothy D. Noakes, New England Journal of Medecine, 2004, 351:847).
A question for those of you in the know. Ritalin (methylphenidate) is on the WADA banned substance list, but seems to have been exempted from the NCAA due to its prominant use by students. Is this the case? Curious.
Also curious about when you saw Ous compete in Tunisia, Michael. What years were those? I had heard that Ous hasn’t competed or trained in Tunisia in years. Hasn’t he lived in America with his family since he was quite young? Am I confused here? I spent a couple of weeks as a tourist in the beautiful town of Sidi-Bou-Säid in the mid-90s, but only two days in Tunis…fond memories for sure.
Comment by Michel Angstadt
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 03:04
It seems to me that Oussama Melloului cares about his academic achievements. The explanation, or excuse, is straightforward, but it does sound a bit naive, to say the least.
What are you first? A student or an athlete? Or if you’re both, you have to choose between “screw the project” or “risk screwing my swimming career for two years.”
As a world class swimmer, I would have chosen to give up on the project. But it’s always so easy to give an opinion with the benefit of hindsight and when you’re not in the decision-maker’s shoes.
Is there any such thing as a reduced penalty? Like “OK, you goofed up, you were seeking to enchance your academic performance, you admitted it, so we’ll give you one year (from the date of the positive test) instead of the mandatory two?” That way Beijing wouldn’t be screwed up for Mellouli but the gold and bronze medals he won at Melbourne would be passed on to the next in line. It’s just a suggestion.
Comment by Michel Angstadt
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 03:05
“Enhance your academic performance,” not “enchance.”
Comment by Michel Angstadt
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 03:19
At Melbourne, Mellouli took gold in the 800 free and silver in the 400 free (not bronze). My RAM memory deteriorates at the same rate as I lose hair from my natural tonsure.
Comment by julie
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 04:16
So Michel - people who care about academics take mind altering drugs ?
.
That is certainly a new line. As I said I am open to biochemistry advances but there is a problem . It is called coaching ethics.
When kids say-”Coach I cant come to the comp this weekend because I have an assignment to finish. ” To which Coach replies -”Oh just take some drugs to stay up late & boost your focus. See you at the meet kid”.
We cheat right across the board in this life but only must sport be so virginal & pure?
Comment by Michael
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 04:45
Ah, Julie, so glad to read that Xanadu is your model of airy fairness. Why don’t you tell that to Rick DeMont and what happened to HIM in the 1972 Olympics! Legal evidence and fairness be damned!
Comment by Michael
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 06:49
Scott Morgan — My Bad!
What I wrote was NOT clearly stated — I saw him in Abuja, Nigeria when he last swam in the All African Games in 2003. As someone who trapsed all over Africa, I should have much more precise in my references.
Thanks for calling on me to be more specific! I apologize if my post was misleading.
Comment by MM
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 07:00
The reason why he took what he took does not justify. If it was illegal, FINA has to punish him, otherwise it will get out of control.
Ous is a great swimmer, seems to be honest and I do belive he didn’t mean to take that to improve performance…I don’t think he needs it.
However, FINA can’t let people get away with excuses. The next guy might have the intention to improve his performance…and even though the drug might not do much to one, it can have different effects on someone else.
I hope that he doesn’t get punished, but the reasonable side of me tells me that he should be…
Let FINA and CAS handle it.
Comment by Erik
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 11:42
I think the key point will be if he listed the pill before he took the doping test. As I understand it, all athletes have to fill out information on all prescription drugs, pills, and medicine that they have taken for various reasons. Did he list the pills when he took the test ? I have no idea - but I think this will be determine a lot about any possible punishment.
For example there are many flu drugs that are illegal - but if an athlete has the flu, they are allowed to take them - but need a prescription and/or need to list the drugs.
Comment by Michel Angstadt
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 15:10
Julie, I stick to caffeine (a legal drug up to certain limits) when I need to stay up late translating or get up early to do the same.
But if others wish to resort to other drugs, it’s their business.
Being a world class athlete you have to be so, so careful about what you do. Not only must you BE clean, but you have to SEEM clean, LOOK clean, the whole works.
I hope there is such thing as a reduced penalty (one year instead of two).
Comment by Gary Hall Jr.
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 16:34
Being a world class athlete offers some privilege but you also give up some rights the masses have. Offering your whereabouts every hour of every day for drug testers to find and test you may not seem fair to most people (it is an invasion of privacy) but it is a sacrifice one makes to be able to compete in a sport that we are trying to keep clean.
Having your name plastered in the papers as a result of a positive test may also seem like a violation of one’s privacy, or slander. Whether it is a leak or it comes directly from FINA the announcement that Mellouli tested positive is news, and it will be reported. It’s not fair to blame L’Equipe, or even feel bad for Mellouli. It should be an incentive to not take banned drugs. Whether it was a “whoops, I just popped some pills some dude handed me” or “my testosterone levels are four times higher than the allowable limit because I have four times as many testicles” as an excuse it doesn’t change the fact that these athletes being discussed failed a drug test. Some people seem to be forgetting that. Every world class athlete knows the rules. You are responsible for what goes in your body.
Back off L’Equipe. They are reporting on factual positive tests.
Comment by Roy
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 16:35
And that is why I check www.deckpass.com every single day to see if Gary’s show is up yet… oh this is going to be sooooo good….
Comment by SK
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 16:47
Let me first say that I certainly agree that what Mellouli did was a bonehead move for an elite athlete. He should know better than swallow some pill without checking.
This said, under the World Anti-Doping Agency code, the suspension can be reduced for “substances that are particularly susceptible to unintentional anti-doping rules violations because of their general availability in medicinal products or which are less likely to be successfully abused as doping agents.” The code goes on to state that “When an athlete can establish that the use of such a specified substance was not intended to enhance sport performance, the period of ineligibility shall be replaced with the following: First violation- At a minimum a warning and reprimand and no period of ineligibility, and at a maximum 1 year ineligibility.”
I think Adderall fulfill the description of being both widely available at US Universities and less likley to be abused as a doping agent (especially 6 months before the World Championships).
Assuming that Mellouli properly documented his claim that he got the pill by “accident”, then the warning that he received from the Tunisian Swimming Federation is not particularly inconsistent with WADA’s Code considering that this is his first violation.
Comment by SK
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 16:53
Michael: Mellouli performance at the World Champs is totally consistent with his results of the last 5 years. He easily won gold at the All African Games in 2003 with a subpar swim considering a very weak field. Dont judge him based on that performance. Check his times at the World, Olympics and NCAA.
Comment by Jim
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 16:56
I prescribe Adderall in my pediatric practice and have also taken it when I was younger for my ADHD. It DEFINITELY improved my swimming performance though I wasn’t swimming competitively in meets during the time I used it. It is a combination of mixed salts of amphetamine and dextroamphetamine. My times in practice on the days I used it were dramatically lower then when i drank a couple cups of coffee. But don’t listen to me, there is a whole literature on the subject.
When I got older I switched to Bupropion (Wellbutrin); while true that it and other alternatives such as Strattera, aren’t as effective for ADD, most adults don’t need the stimulants anymore as their frontal lobes have matured to the point that they can get by without the more powerful effect of stimulants (e.g. Ritalin, Metadate, Concerta, Dexedrine, Adderall, etc. ) needed by children whose brains are not as mature yet. In fact, I usually switch older adolescents from stimulants to the other meds for that reason, as well as my observation that at that age and older, the risk of abuse is higher than the benefit of use. I only take Wellbutrin anymore during periods of several weeks several times a year where I have a higher than usual need to concentrate, multi-task, focus, etc.
So, unless Meloulli has very severe ADHD, with extreme hyperactivity and impulsivity, which is rare in adulthood he had other options for treatment. And he could use caffeine for studying like the rest of the student population!! Haven’t had time to read the whole story yet, but if he was taking it the days he won medals at Worlds, he should definitely be stripped of his medals. Of note, Phelps had ADHD as a child as well, and he reported that although his academic performance wasn’t quite as good off of it, he declined to take it starting in his early adolescent years and was able to successfully graduate and go on to college without it. It is possible that he still has mild symptomatology without medication, but by and large being off of stimulants so long has likely helped him learn coping mechanisms to help ameliorate whatever residual symptoms he might have.
The use of stimulants for ADD or ADHD in adults is somewhat controversial among physicians, even without this controversy about performance enhancement in athletics. Given their high physical workload in addition to their academics, it seems to me that exhausted student athletes including swimmers appear to be at particularly high risk for convincing themselves and their doctors that they need stimulants to function academically as opposed to getting the extra sleep that they need.
Comment by Jim
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 16:59
Addendum: Actually when I think of it, any training done while on stimulants would allow the athlete to train with significantly and artificially greater cardiovascular efficiency, so in addition to any stimulants taken on the day of competition, any taken on training days (which is most days for these athletes) should be banned as well.
Comment by Michael
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 18:29
Let me make a couple of points, briefly:
1. I wish the level of open and free discussion which we see here would be found in some of the silliness which has come out of WADA the past several years.
2. Ous is an admitted user of a banned substance - his own words!
3. If i had been the swimmer who touched 4th, I’m not sure that I would be so sanguine about his getting only “a slap on the wrist” because we have collectively adopted an “Adderall ain’t such a BAD item” frame of mind.
4. Jim’s remarks (cf. post above) should be re-read by everyone!
Comment by gheko
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 20:57
unless he tested positive at the worlds his medals should stand!
Comment by Nathan
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 21:09
I don’t agree. I think anyone who tests positive should have all of their medals taken away. If they’ve been proven to cheat once, who is to say they didn’t in the past and just didn’t get caught?
Comment by Chris who will now be known as CP
Posted on April 23rd, 2007 at 21:41
Gheko, again I say if we are going to qualify positive tests because it’s ok that it came at this time or because of this reason or blah blah blah blah blah, there will be no end to it. Why then, should we test at all?
Comment by lablom
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 00:49
I am a big fan of Gary’s, both in and out of the water. As a former swimmer from a small club with a coach who used very unorthodox coaching methods (with a great degree of success considering who and what he has working with–we used to swim in reverse, as in backwards, in all strokes, as a way to balance muscle development), I have a soft spot for his wild energy and Sinatraesque innovation, theatrics and individuality. As a Canadian, I have a soft spot for those athletes who indulge in the therapuetic (although not performance enhancing) benefits of moderate cannabis useage. In spite of all this, it seems strange that he would speak with such certainty in terms of dopping regulations. The last time I checked, it is still on the banned substance list, under the “street-drug” category. Still, I would support Gary in lobbying WADA to have this changed. I support the Rastafarianizing of the sport 100%.
Comment by Michel Angstadt
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 03:57
I ocassionally smoked pot (inhaling, of course, but I never smoked cigarettes) in my University days and the one thing I noticed about it was that I had a tendency to write with letters switching their order–not actually typoes because I did my writing by hand at the time. If I stopped smoking, I went back to writing without any of those “manual typoes.”
I wonder how marihuana can enhance your performance as an athlete. It’s good for a laugh or two or it can make you sleepy, but can you actually run or swim faster or jump or throw farther?
Comment by gheko
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 06:03
unless you can prove he was on drugs in melbourne, he has no case to answer, this is garbage, i suppose next ian thorpe should lose all his medals as well? while michelle smith the chinese and east germans keep theres?
Comment by gheko
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 06:07
The thing i love about the good old USA is they are quick to label others drug cheats when they themselves have history eg balco!
Comment by Michael
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 06:56
On the contrary: The East German women have PUBLICALLY admitted long term drug use and have [even] taken small monetary settlements from legal actions against a few of their tormentors.
OF COURSE THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO GIVE THE MEDALS BACK.
SHIRLEY BABASHOFF DESERVES, GOLD, GOLD, AND GOLD!
Comment by Jim Christian
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 08:21
“Comment by julie
Posted on April 22nd, 2007 at 18:10
I find it strange for someone on adderall to be so critical of someone else using the same drug.”
That’s like comparing a cancer patient on EPO to someone taking EPO illegally. Apples and oranges.
Comment by Slimothy
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 11:06
It’s great to read all your comments, very different but they all make sense in a way. I believe that Ous did not mean to enhance his sporting performance in any form or way. I was fortunate to meet Ous during a camp with all the Tunisian Athletes before the Greece Olympics and he’s the most level-headed nicest athlete I have ever met. There is no way he would have tried to cheat. I agree, what he did was naive, but the guy loves his studies and is graduating next month, so I presume all the pressure of two demanding schedules of his academic and sporting carriers got the best of him, so he sadly took the wrong decision to take ONLY ONE PILL of illegal substance in order to stay awake and finish his project, surely that is understandable. Most of us can’t even handle only an academic carreer without caffeine or stimulants or Marijuana in my case, so for Ous, god bless him, it got to the point where it was too much for him and he needed some help to succeed in his studies. I know that Ous don’t like coffee so that’s why he didn’t resort to Caffeine. I see it like this: You have a project you have to finish by tomorrow morning before you go away to a very important competition, you have no choice but to stay awake, you don’t like coffee or whatever, you don’t smoke weed, and someone comes up to you and offers you one pill that might resolve your most crucial dilemma within minutes, so you end up making the wrong decision because all the pressures drive us into being irrational sometimes. The moral of the story is: Ous is a great guy, the most fair-plau athlete over there and he loves his swimming and studies, his success is only due to the amount of sacrifice and hard work he put in, he is the Pride and Joy of Tunisia, a very nice beautiful modern country(even though it’s not easy), so give the boy some credit for what he has achieved, and wish him good luck for the future.
And on top of all the It studies and swimming, he also supports 2 charities in Tunisia practically on his own, and speaks 5 languages, God bless Ous, Tunisia and you guys who spent a few minutes reading this.
Bye for now and support Ous, he’s the future of swimming,
Slim xxx
Comment by CHris who will now be known as CP
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 11:59
I think we are starting to talk about seperate issues than the intention of the article.
I don’t believe that FINA or WADA would both agree that marijuana is not a performance enhancing drug, but that is not the reason it is banned. They ban it for the same reason that the NFL does - image. But this is a seperate issue than the Mellouli case, I believe.
Also, was he on drugs at Melbourne? No, probably not. That is not the issue. He was on them at the US Open, which requires consequences. Those consequences are why the World medals would be stripped because FINA says that he should never have been there in the first place, not that he had an undue advantage when he was there. I suppose this is not really a seperate issue, just a clarification of everyone’s opinion.
Michael - this is a seperate issue, but I’d like to comment on it. I agree with you, they diserve their awards. I think the reason that FINA is reluctant to adjust the results of the East Germans is because they probably don’t have what they feel is the necessary documentation of exactly who was “assisted”. That doesn’t mean they shouldn’t at least issue dual golds.
Also, as far as BALCO is concerned, I believe that the argument against Amy Van Dyken is just as heated, but more in the background since there was no flash point to start an active debate. However, the debate is a different one: Can an athlete be banned with no positive test, even after the fact when we find out that there may not have been a test for the substance?
Comment by CHris who will now be known as CP
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 12:06
Also, being called into a grand jury to testify on someone who supplied drugs does not necessarily mean you took them. Maybe they just wanted her to testify that they approached her, but she never took the stuff.
I just wanted to make clear that I didn’t want to express an opinion on Van Dyken since I do not know enough about her situation to form a cojent opinion. I just wanted to point out that there is debate on her.
Comment by David
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 12:21
Thank you all for your comments, as I think that there is some real good discussion going on here. Would like to give you all a heads up that, thanks to your suggestions, we are going to expand on this subject by offering up to you what others have to say on the subject. Specifically, Kicker Vencill will be giving his opinion to us in the next couple of days so keep reading! If you don’t know Kicker’s story, it’s an amazing one. This should give you all a pretty good idea:
http://www.usantidoping.org/files/active/athletes/newsletter/Kicker%20Vencill_USA%20Swimming%20story_May%2017%202005.pdf
Comment by gheko
Posted on April 24th, 2007 at 17:43
every nation would like to think that there swimmers are clean, however the reality is they are not!
Comment by Jed
Posted on August 13th, 2007 at 06:04
Oussama Mellouli is innocent and everybody knows that and that he took the drug spontaneously and naively. He’s not an expert in drugs or a pharmacist. And after all, contrary to what all haters say, one pill of this drug can’t do anything. He’s a champ and he rocks. You simply can’t beat him.