What a ridiculous article. Drugs are not only dangerous but also give an unfair advantage. I tell you what Mr Barnes, why don't we have a written test on let's say Drugs for £1million. I'll get a copy of the answers and hand that in. I'll win of course and in relation to your article it will be fair

Mark, London, England

When I heard Marion Jones cheated in Sydney in 2000 I felt disgust. I felt sick to know that she cheated not only the public who cheered her on, but her fellow clean athletes who will never get that special moment back. Can't even remember who came "second" which is the biggest sadness of all.

Gen, London, UK

What a nonsensical attention seeking article. Since all countries are not created equal, those countries who cant afford to match the pharma companies of the west can stay away from the Olympics.

Swami, Singapore,

Drugs overdose can burn out the athletes body and kill him/her. It's more of a health and safety issue then anything else.

jayil, london, uk

What a load of utter nonsense!!! Sport celebrates the natural strengths and aptitude of the human species, not the collective ability of mercenary chemists!! If you can't do it natural, then you are not up to it. I think everyone should be tested and some honesty be returned to sport.

James Cullup, Oxford,

I agree, let's cut the level playing field myth. All men are not born equal; some people are born with a natural advatntage. The question then becomes what are the acceptable methods of leveling the playing field? If drugs can be made safe for consumption, I see no issue.

RP, Stanmore,

The taking of drugs would have something to do with money wouldn't it.

Dennis Smith, Melbourne, Australia

Drugs have been associated with sport as far back as the ancient Games. Sport reflects society and we all live in a chemical society.IOC have paid lip service to drug taking, they have too much at stake to start naming the top athletes, it just wudn,t be good for business. Let the freak show begin

P aul Collins, Belfast,

Are you kidding? The moral obligation to the athlete is not just to the sport but to those that is inspires as a role model. Climbing Everest is dangerous, doing it in a speedo on cocaine is stupid. We are talking about sport, not gladiators who must fight to the death. How you win is important!

M.G., Missouri,

Oh yeah, I can't wait to applaud the next great poker player due to X-Ray glasses. And I always feel a great sense of accomplishment winning a video game with cheat codes. Sport is about honor, those heroes you speek of are heroes for how they achieve, not just that they achieved.

M.G., Missouri,

Amazing how the author entirely missed the only compelling argument against drugs in sports (and the one that makes sense). Drugs are illegal in sport because they give the athlete an unfair advantage. In order to mitigate that advantage, all the other competitors would also need dope to stay even

Andrew, Mercer Island, united States

You clearly have not played sports during your lifetime. 1.) drugs are bad for your body (what about children who want to succeed?) 2.) It is not natural, the way the Olympics has always been for centuries. 3.) Honesty is the best policy...the athletes are trying to hide it rather than support it.

Matt, Santa Clara,

Your article smacks of an attention seeking headline and mere nonsense thereafter. I really would expect better from the Times.

Alex, Manchester,

The real problem, in my opinion, with doping is that it gives athletes an unfair advantage over those they compete against. An athlete who genuinely loves the sport and works hard at it to be his best can easily be crushed by some loser who puts in 1/2 the effort but is jacked up on some new drug.

Yusuke Hiyasaki, San Jose,

Taking drugs is only cheating if the drugs are outlawed. What is the difference between them & energy drinks or even gym sessions? All are performance enhancing. Drawing the line has proved worthless and led to all performances being questioned. Offer them to all with the risks made clear.

Andrew, London,

incredibly you missed the whole point of the problem with doping: provides unfair advantage against others that don dope. You need to set n equal line in order to put people into a competition. Doping provides unfair seconds of advantage. There, ethics of doping explained.

Fabian, San Jose, Costa Rica

Sport is fascinating because it creates a starkness: Here is a flesh and blood human being using his body to explore our physical limits by plumbing his personal will and drive. When this equation gets tainted by chemicals we lose something precious we will never get back.

David, Athens, Greece

Sports competitions are supposed to be competitions of natural HUMAN ability. Who cares who can dope themselves up the best? We want to see people pushing their own limits, doing incredible things using their own skill and talent that they worked hard to get.

Josh, Madison, USA

I don't see it as a moral question at all, though most people make it one. Drugs have no place in sports because they artificially enhance your body. The same can be said about the new high-tech clothing/equipment that athletes wear to artificially enhance their performance.

Jerry Aymond, Oceanside,

There can never be 100% purity in any pursuit. There are lots of criminals in any Society but we cannot tar the whole Society with the same brush. We can only try our best & expose the cheats where & when we can. Sadly, this also applies to the Olympics.

ian cheese, london, uk

How about two Olympics, one for non drug users and one for those who do not mind damaging their bodies and will push it to the absolute limit.

A waiver would probably be required though.

Dean, Fort Lauderdale,

Simon, as someone who writes eloquently about why we love sport, you should well appreciate why we hate drugs in sport: because drug use undermines our faith in the integrity of the sportsmen and women we idolise and to whom we displace our own fantasies. Actually, you probably do...

Nick, Nottingham,

To me sport is an opportunity for an individual to bring the best out of themselves by competing against someone who is of similar ability. Elite sport is not an opportunity to see what the human body is capable of when dosed with drugs but a target for someone to aspire to.

Brett, Lichfield, UK

If doping was legalised, it would mean that athletes would have no choice but to take drugs if they wanted to be competitive. This would almost certainly lead to disability and even deaths as athletes tried different amounts and combinations of chemicals in an attempt to gain an edge.

David Myring, Solihull,

Why just single out Tennis? Football at the olympics is in the same boat, the ultimate prize being very much the world cup\champions league. Where pinsent and co dreamt of olympic glory every day for four years many of the worlds best footballers arent attending so as not to upset their clubs.

Rhys, leeds,

A simple case of "my pharmacist is better than your pharmacist". No credit whatsoever to the athlete who wins.

David H, Argentat, France

Sadly, I believe that there will come a time when doping in elite sport is accepted. Maybe not welcomed, but accepted.
When doping is acceptable the drug manufacturers can concentrate on making drugs that are safe rather than ones that are untraceable.

Alan, Stavanger, Norway

The reason why drugs should not be allowed in sport is quite simple - it gives a competitor an unfair advantage and is cheating, hence the argument to either ban all drugs or make them all legal so that at least no one competitor has an advantage that the others haven't.

Doug Bates, St. Albans,

With or without drugs, a level playing field is an illusion in the Olympics because of the budgets of the richer nations will always give them an advantage over the poorer countries.

SAm

SAm, Auckland, New Zealand

A number of cyclists died in their sleep in the early 90's, and you say that EPO isn't dangerous. It took until early 1997 for this rampant abuse to be restrained with a heamatocrit test.

Nick, Speyer, Germany

What's wrong with demanding a level playing field - to determine the winner....

Richard, Bucharest,

Why are drugs still banned in sports? Simple, you don't want the athletes to take something to win, that you wouldn't want your children taking.

Rory Alex, London, England

Simon I disagree with you here. We watch sport becuase of emotional reasons so I feel it is reasonable of me to oppose drugging for emotional reasons. If the majority agree with me as they indeed seem to do then we should strive our best for a clean Olympics.

DW, Beijing, China

What a sad perspective!

Jim, Indianapolis, USA

I have no issue with drugs in sport. I have never been able to work out what the great evil is. Why are drugs different to the new swim suits or specialist footwear. Why is it OK to train a body for one dicipline so that it does not function properly for normal activity and even unhealthity. Well???

john , london, uk

There is absolutely nothing wrong with taking drugs in sport , providing the sport in question is , who can take the most drugs . That would be one Olympic event I would definitely watch but probably the only one . Except for maybe the drunk/stoned decathlon . (not the drugs you meant i know) :D

Benzo, Nr Chelmsford,