Athletes may secure a TUE (Therapeutic Use Exemption) which when properly filed, allows use of banned performance-enhancing substances on medical grounds.
Key question: should medical exemptions allowing drug use be kept secret? Is it fair allowing chronically ill or disabled elite athletes to compete in world-class events (such as the Olympics) when taking banned drugs that others can't use? Perhaps the place for such impaired competitors is the Paralympics ...?
Allowances become complicated by the fact that cases are considered by Medical Advisory Committees within each nation. NATION-level allowances & standards may actually differ practically.
Another problem is that even elite athletes may file a TUE request retroactively, after they've been tested for doping.
Combining these complexities (and potential for corruption) with confidentiality, the secret process allowing drug use does not inspire trust or assure fairness...
Key question: should medical exemptions allowing drug use be kept secret? Is it fair allowing chronically ill or disabled elite athletes to compete in world-class events (such as the Olympics) when taking banned drugs that others can't use? Perhaps the place for such impaired competitors is the Paralympics ...?
Allowances become complicated by the fact that cases are considered by Medical Advisory Committees within each nation. NATION-level allowances & standards may actually differ practically.
Another problem is that even elite athletes may file a TUE request retroactively, after they've been tested for doping.
Combining these complexities (and potential for corruption) with confidentiality, the secret process allowing drug use does not inspire trust or assure fairness...
