Tiger Woods has said he never had a drugs test outside of a tournament. Neither have Rory McIlroy, Luke Donald or Lee Westwood. But then, why would the world’s golfers be subjected to those 6am knocks on the door from the drug testers?
They are not required to tell the World Anti-Doping Authority (WADA) where they will be for an hour each day, as athletes in other Olympic sports must do. They do not have to give blood samples, either. WADA tested only 1,488 samples from golfers in 2011, the last year for which data is available.
We should not worry, though. The Royal & Ancient have a medical team working at the International Golf Federation to ‘come up with recommendations for what’s going to happen pre-Olympic Games’.
Not obliged: Tiger Woods said that he has never had a drugs test outside of a tournament Confession: Vijay Singh admitted to using deer antler spray, which contains small amounts of growth hormoneYes, those Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, at which golf will make its return after a 112-year absence, which are now just 1,187 days away.
And golf, of course, is notorious for the lightning-quick way it adapts to change. The R&A will no doubt think this another issue for the ‘chattering classes’, intent as they are on continuing on a ‘direction of travel’ which apparently will conclude somewhere in the mid-19th century with men-only clubs and the PGA Tour happily allowing its players to shower themselves in deer antler spray. It would be funny if it were not so crushingly arrogant.
Golf may well enjoy its sense of isolation. Some still feel the need to giggle at the concept that performance-enhancing drugs make an iota of difference in a sport that boasts players such as Miguel Angel Jimenez, complete with pot belly and cigar.
Disgraced: Sport was rocked by Lance Armstrong's admission to doping his way to seven Tour de France wins Shamed: Trainer Mahmood Al Zarooni was given an eight-year ban for administering his horses with steroidsGreg Norman is right when he says golf’s attitude towards anti-doping is ‘disgraceful’, but it is not the only one that is haughty and out of touch. Many sports which promote touch, feel and individual creativity continue to sideline the damning consequences of doping.This may not be surprising in the hazy moral maze of elite sport but it is given the incredible sums of hard cash at stake.
Tennis, to its credit, will this year introduce an athlete biological passport programme, which monitors changes and indicates the likely presence of drugs. That after it emerged just 18 blood tests were carried out on male players in 2011.
This sounds like a proactive step forward but is actually more of a leisurely lollop: the programme has an estimated annual budget of just £2.25million, while blood passports need five or six years of data to be effective. The winner of Wimbledon, meanwhile, will pocket a cool £1.6m.
Test: Fluminense's Deco, who used to play for Barcelona and Chelsea, tested positive for a banned diuretic Progress: Andy Murray, Rafael Nadal and Co will have to comply with a new biological passport programme WHAT THEY SAID‘The Paralympics aren’t like Barcelona’s squad — we’re not just about Messi,’ said Jonnie Peacock, back on the track at the BT Great City Games in Manchester on May 25.
‘London 2012 showed to people there’s more to the Paralympics than just Oscar Pistorius.’ He’s right. I noticed the change during the coverage of the London Marathon: David Weir was not ‘born with a spinal cord transection’, he was just David Weir, athlete. End of.
More tests were carried out on footballers in 2011 than athletes from any other sport yet it provoked merely a whisper that former Chelsea player Deco, now playing for Fluminense, faces a 30-day ban after testing positive for a banned diuretic.
Former Olympic 400 metres champion Christine Ohuruogu will forever be dogged by the one-year ban she served for missing three out-of- competition tests, yet it is often overlooked that Rio Ferdinand received an eight-month ban for skipping a test in 2003.
Neither stands accused of doping, yet they are treated very differently.
Issue: Lynsey Sharp claimed athletics has a huge problem with drugsIn October, Chelsea were said to be ‘irritated’ after testers visited their training ground ahead of a match against Manchester United. They understood their responsibilities and there was no suggestion there would be adverse findings, but the whole thing was a bore. Excuse me if I’m running low on sympathy.
We are rightly alarmed when 800m runner Lynsey Sharp declares athletics has a ‘huge problem’ with doping. Questions were asked about Chinese swimmer Ye Shiwen’s performances at London 2012. Cycling’s narrative is dominated by drugs.
We mutter our condemnation at the big, bad cheats. But if there is a ball involved there is usually a dose of hypocrisy, too. We are guilty of dropping the ball and looking the other way.
...AND THIS IS WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING THIS WEEKWALKED into a London studio to find double Olympic gymnastics bronze medallist Max Whitlock covered in black paint and gamely playing along during a stunning photo-shoot with Sportsmail’s Andy Hooper.
Not your average Monday morning.
LISTENED, riveted, as the Championship season unfolded on BBC Radio 5 Live. It is days like this the old wireless comes into its own, though I must have looked a bit of a plonker walking down Tottenham High Road on the way to White Hart Lane yelping at every twist and turn.
ATTENDED a lunch to celebrate the Barclays Community Sports Awards.
Events like this can sometimes feel very worthy but it was a privilege to see individuals who dedicate their lives to sport getting their moment in the spotlight for a change.
PERFORMANCE OF THE WEEK
Hull's promotion back to the Premier League — for the sheer torturous, enthralling-if-it’s-not-your-club drama of it all.
I’m a little biased as I grew up near Hull and saw last time around what being a Premier League city did to the place. And who’d have thought Leeds would help the Tigers cement their place in the top flight? You couldn’t make it up.
More... DES KELLY: The idea that governing bodies are serious about exposing drug cheats is a myth... the cover-up makes my blood boil Dawn Approach gives a winning lift to Sheikh Mohammed who watches first race since drugs scandal Olympic 1500m gold medallist Cakir faces lifetime ban after doping charges Nadal blasts Spanish court after it destroys 200 blood bags related to Operation Puerto
