Steroid Raid is a Good Sign

SACRAMENTO, California, September 27. THE war on performance-enhancing drugs figures to be an ongoing battle, but a step in the right direction has been taken with the arrest of 124 individuals in the United States who were part of an underground steroid trafficking ring. According to the Los Angeles Times, 50-plus home-based laboratories were nailed.

Officials indicated that the raw material process in the home labs originated in China, not exactly a great indicator with the 2008 Olympic Games scheduled for Beijing. More than 11 million doses and 500 pounds of raw material were seized in what authorities referred to as Operation Raw Deal. Not only did officials raid various locales in America, they popped the Chinese suppliers of the raw material. Obviously, the raids – also taking place in Canada and Mexico – are a positive in the fight against performance-enhancing drugs.

"The unprecedented level of cooperation in this investigation is exactly what is needed to make greater strides in solving a problem that has the potential to cause irreparable damage to sport," said Peter Ueberroth, the chairman of the United States Olympic Committee.

A little less than a year out from the Olympic Games in Beijing, the fight against performance-boosting materials will be higher profiled. There is no worse place for drug violations to occur than on the biggest stage in sports. While it is likely to happen in one sport or another, the seizures that occurred this week are helpful in the curtailing of doping.

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