Parents force their children to use doping: scandal shakes American sports

doping - Ảnh 1. — The American athletics village was shocked by this scandal - Photo: USADA

The sad incident

The US Anti-Doping Agency recently officially charged coach Michael Vowell and his son Seth Vowell with doping at a youth tournament.

It is worth mentioning that Mr. Michael (49 years old), who is also his son's coach, used his own testosterone gel to inject his son when he participated in the Junior Olympic Cross-Country Championships.

According to USADA, the incident began with an anonymous tip-off. After investigating, they discovered that on December 10, 2023, at a tournament in Texas, Michael used testosterone gel - a substance in the Anabolic Agents group that is absolutely banned, and then directly applied it to his son's body to increase his performance.

He was also convicted of possession and assisting in the use of banned substances, both of which are serious offenses under USADA and WADA regulations.

Coach Michael has accepted a lifetime ban. Seth, despite being a minor, has been given a reduced two-year suspended sentence. All of Seth’s achievements since December 10, 2023, have been voided, including a series of high school medals and records.

doping - Ảnh 2. — More and more American athletes are banned for doping - Photo: PA

Travis T. Tygart, USADA's executive director, called it a "heartbreaking example" and stressed: "Coaches, parents and support staff for underage athletes must put the interests and safety of children first. We cannot allow children to be harmed."

Mr. Tygart also warned that doping abuse among minors not only violates sports regulations, but also poses risks to children's mental health, morality and overall development.

Fear of achievement disease

Running Magazine (Canada) and international sports sites such as The Sports Examiner all quoted accurate information from USADA, emphasizing that the incident originated from an internal whistleblower.

An article on sports discussion board Let's Run commented that the incident is even more worrying because "it is very easy for parents to support their children in doping, even with normal achievements".

"How many such cases are there in American track and field? Probably many. Vowell's case is certainly not unique," the article warned.

For a long time, Americans have been skeptical about the integrity of high school and college sports, as young athletes are increasingly given more educational privileges.

"You should know that cheating in school sports will bring greater benefits than in the Olympics. In the Olympics, cheating brings medals and bonuses to the stars - things they don't lack.

In school sports, cheating can give you access to some of the world's top universities," said a Let's Run reader.

HUY DANG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/phu-huynh-ep-con-dung-doping-be-boi-chan-dong-the-thao-my-20250702135234724.htm