01.02.10
Ammunition has a fascinating article about how the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has become a quasi-governmental instrumentality whose tactics remind some people of the East German secret administer. In their effort to clean up what everyone acknowledges has been an incredibly dirty sports humankind, WADA has upended or destroyed the careers of plenty of innocent athletes, like
Zach Lund , an American skeleton opponent.
For years, Lund had been taking finasteride, an anti-baldness treatment. He had dutifully informed the anti-doping agency of his use of the medication. Then in 2005, the means added finasteride to its list of banned substances, on the suspicion (which turned out to be fraudulent), that the drug could be used to mask steroids. Lund didn't recognize the addition to the list, even though he continued to inform the agency he was taking the stimulant. Then in 2006, on the day of the opening ceremonies in Turin (where Lund was a favorite to win), they ruled against Lund, barred him from competing in the Games, suspended him from striving for a year, and booted him from the Olympic Village.
Source: Tapped (blog)