Doping athletes are 'sociopathic cheats': Pound
Olympians on banned substances will be exposed, punished
Last Updated: Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | 9:43 AM ET
The Canadian Press
Finland's Mika Myllyla, a retired cross-country skier and former world and Olympic champion, recently told authorities he used erythropoietin (EPO), a blood doping agent, during his active career. (Matti Bjorkman/Getty Images)Athletes using performance-enhancing drugs won't get any sympathy from anti-doping crusader and Canadian International Olympic Committee member Dick Pound.
He says anyone using a banned substance to gain an edge on the competition is a "sociopathic cheat" who deserves to be exposed and punished.
Pound also has harsh words for professional sports that help players skirt the rules.
Speaking on Monday night in Vancouver at a panel on ethics in sport, Pound calls doping the "single greatest threat to the integrity and future of sport."
He says fans are no longer as horrified when their idols are exposed for drug use — something Pound predicts could end with fans rejecting the offending sport.
He says officials in baseball, football and hockey condemn doping, but also deny their sports have a problem — something, he says, is "an outrageous abdication of responsibility by the professional leagues."
