Tokyo Olympics approach to performance enhancing drugs is rigorous

Johnson, who ran 5.65 for the 55m in 1993 (just 0.04 outside the world record), would only do so by using testosterone that was exposed by a failed drug test at the same meeting.  

Third, we can observe the recent efforts of World Athletics to test athletes in the nations with dubious or lacking testing protocols.

It has been a gradual process, perhaps beginning before Sebastian Coe was elected president of the IAAF in 2015 with his determination to adopt independent drug testing after it was reported that a third of medals awarded in endurance events at the Olympics and World Championships between 2001 and 2012 were won by athletes who had suspicious test results at a time when blood transfusions and EPO micro-doses were used to boost the red cell count.

For example, with Jamaica virtually having no out-of-competition testing in the six months before the 2012 London OG, and blood tests only beginning in Jamaica during 2015, the Jamaica Anti-Doping Commission was given greater resources to lift its game.

March 2021 data shows that Jamaica conducted 249 blood and 69 urine out-of-competition tests over the previous 12 month period.

And with considerable concern about Kenyan athletes in recent years, greater testing efforts has resulted in around 50 top Kenyan athletes testing positive for banned PEDs in recent years, including the 2008 Olympic and 2011, 2013 and 2015 world champion Asbel Kiprop at the 1500m.

New doping regulations require Kenyan athletes to take at least three out-of-competition tests within 10 months of a major championship and at least three weeks apart.

Only this week Kenya was forced to drop two runners from its Olympic team days ago because they had not undertaken the required number of out-of-competition doping tests, including the 18-year-old Kamar Etiang who surprised to finish second in the 1500m at the trials in a personal-best time.

In recent years, with countries such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Ukraine and Belarus identified at greater risk of doping, targeted countries are required to have their athletic federations provide adequate drug-testing plans prior to any World Championships or Olympic Games.

Hence, the AIU has the power to investigate national federations for breaches of the new obligations, require them to cooperate with any investigation, and monitor their compliance with the rules.

Of course, any testing regime can always be improved.

Why not extend the statute of limitations under the Olympic Charter to retest samples beyond the current eight years to put even more fear into athletes tempted to cheat with banned PEDs?