Doping: Nobody Likes a Cheater

The games are still more than a week away and would-be Olympians—from the United States to Bulgaria to China—have already tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs. And no doubt more Olympic athletes will flunk drug tests in Beijing. Doping has been part of the Olympics for almost a half century now, and nobody believes Beijing will be an exception. That said, athletes there will be subjected to more tests than ever before—an "anywhere, any time" standard is now in force. Testing methods have also been improved, though only the scientists know exactly how much, as anti-doping forces have been deliberately vague about their capabilities. They have revealed, though, that for the first time they'll be conducting blood tests looking for human growth hormone.

At the least, uncertainty could serve as a deterrent. So, too, might the dramatic fall from grace of former Olympic queen Marion Jones, whose role in the BALCO scandal turned her into a felon. She has been stripped of all five of her Olympic medals and will pass the Beijing Games in prison. One lesson from her saga: watch for suspicious athletes who use that classic phrase "I have never tested positive for drugs." Jones never did, either. But eventually she confessed. And now look where she is.

© 2008