Montreal-based lawyer Dick Pound, former head of the World Doping Agency and one-time vice president of the International Olympic Committee, dismissed the recently announced pre-contract drug screening in UFC and StrikeForce.
Pound said of the new policy: “It’s complete illusory and obviously intended to be that way. The minute you know when you’ll be tested, it’s very easy to make sure you don’t test positive.”
He said that if Zuffa is truthful about its concern for the health and safety of its employees, it should institute WADA or Olympic-style testing.
“The only way to really test athletes is to have a random drug testing program 365 days a year so that they cannot prepare. They’re just trying to do enough to keep the Congress off their backs,” Pound added.
Pound expressed concern on young athletes taking performance-enhancing drugs at a celebrity sports dinner and auction in London, Ontario. He said: “You have to get them to understand it’s cheating, a dangerous cheating. And you end up not respecting the game, not respecting your opponents and not respecting yourself.”
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