The fight against drugs in athletics has been branded a "farce" in the wake of the bans given to two of the fastest sprinters in history, according to Rick Broadbent of the LONDON TIMES. The leniency of U.S. sprinter Tyson Gay’s one-year suspension after he failed a test for a banned anabolic steroid "has caused consternation in sporting circles." The Int'l Association of Athletics Federations "is now deliberating whether to increase the sanction," which was issued by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Gay, the winner of three gold medals at the 2007 World Championships, "admitted taking the banned substance unknowingly" from '12 and has already handed back his Olympic Silver Medal from the 4x100 meter relay. His punishment is in contrast with that given to Jamaican sprinter Asafa Powell, the former 100m world record-holder, "who has been banned for 18 months for a less serious offence." The cases of Gay and Powell, which may yet end up in the Court of Arbitration for Sport, "have added to the pressure on anti-doping chiefs." Gay "faced a two-year sanction for testing positive for testosterone" but was eligible for a 75% reduction because he cooperated with the authorities. That "carried little weight with some British Olympians." London 2012 Silver Medal-winning swimmer Michael Jamieson tweeted, “Testosterone isn’t taken by mistake. This story lets us know there is no real desire to tackle doping" (LONDON TIMES, 5/5).
