“Lance [Armstrong] and his story has become a sign post cast in stone on the journey of sport and the sign post says, ‘This Way We Must Never Go Again, We Must Never Believe That Winning At Any Cost Is Acceptable’. This is the story that says that Lance and the people around him went too far.”

David Walsh

Based on the news that parents of BAD & OAK swimmers are seeking ‘medications’ that will boost the performance of their age group (youth) athletes, it unfortunately seems that the lessons from Lance Armstrong have not been learnt and instead parents are seeking to be the Dr Michele Ferrari to their child who may or may not fully comprehend what it means to want to win at any cost.

That swim coaches of swim teams affiliated and recognized by Swim Ontario & Swimming Canada turn a blind eye to this legal doping is a clear statement that not only do these organizations (i.e. Swim Ontario & Swimming Canada) accept such behaviour from athletes, they in fact approve of such ‘legal medicating’. If this is not the case, then where is the position statement on ‘legal but unnecessary medication of youth athletes in pursuit of peak performance’? Where is the threat of swim coaches being suspended if found to be accepting of athletes who legally but unnecessarily medicate to obtain performance benefits?

Swim Ontario & Swimming Canada have long histories of threatening coaches who do not walk in step with their policies & procedures… so where is the expectation on swim coaches that they are to ensure athletes are pursuing peak performance authentically, through training and not through legal PEDs?

The gap between legal and illegal PEDs is small, so why are Swim Ontario & Swimming Canada failing to make that gap as large as possible? Why are Swim Ontario & Swimming Canada not taking necessary and immediate steps to ensure that training and racing in Ontario swim teams is drug-free & unnecessary medication-free? Why are Swim Ontario & Swimming Canada not taking the steps to ensure that swimming is safe and healthy?

Have the financial incentives to ‘Own the Podium’ confused Executives at these organizations as to what is and what is not acceptable? Have the political incentives to deliver World and Olympic medals confused Executives at these organizations as to what is the priority when mentoring, leading and coaching children?

Hello WADA… anyone listening in on what is going on with youth sports, specifically swimming?