As McQuaid says : Only in Spain.

[The Hitch]

That's an easy answer: $$.

Diario Marca, a sports newspaper, is # 1 in readership in Spain. Sporting events tend to be up there near the top in TV viewership.

I think it has to do with the fact that the economy is in such disarray that it's the only scape from the nasty reality of having the work some of the longest hours in Europe for some of the lowest salaries. So it's no wander they look at Nadal and La Roja as icons.

Wouldn't you?

Hell no. No more than I would look up to bankers or politicians or the mafia.

I never understand the logic. Hey im poor and get ****ed in the *** all day but he has every privalage imaginable for doing very little and gets treated very little.

Lets adore him.

 

[sniper]

http://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/04072011/73/tour-de-france-doping-experte-warnt-profis.html

Schänzer from the Cologne lab explains how the current German press' anti-doping stance and their particular focus on doping in cycling is a result of the doping affairs surrounding Telekom and the Freiburg clinic.
I thought that makes an awful lot of sense, and it begs the question why the Spanish press hasn't been more focused on doping since Puerto.

 

[biker jk]

http://de.eurosport.yahoo.com/04072011/73/tour-de-france-doping-experte-warnt-profis.html

Schänzer from the Cologne lab explains how the current German press' anti-doping stance and their particular focus on doping in cycling is a result of the doping affairs surrounding Telekom and the Freiburg clinic.
I thought that makes an awful lot of sense, and it begs the question why the Spanish press hasn't been more focused on doping since Puerto.

A very good question indeed for our Spanish friends. Presumably the four out of five with jobs would like to know?

 

[sniper]

A very good question indeed for our Spanish friends. Presumably the four out of five with jobs would like to know?

Yeah, you're right.
The Spanish labor market is going through tough times, so better stfu about doping.

 

[hrotha]

That's hogwash. Puerto happened at a time when the economy was fine, but no journalists chose to dig deeper beyond the official versions, and only a couple of publications paid any attention to Manzano in 2004, when the economy was even better.

 

[D-Queued]

That's hogwash. Puerto happened at a time when the economy was fine, but no journalists chose to dig deeper beyond the official versions, and only a couple of publications paid any attention to Manzano in 2004, when the economy was even better.

It is picking nits, but the economy wasn't really fine then either. It (e.g. especially the construction industry) was just being propped up by the EU. Unemployment was still incredibly high at the time.

However, that Spain didn't need to worry about 'more important' issues at the time does reinforce your point.

Dave.

 

[danjo007]

ole spain. someone get a trench digger out and cut them off europe!

 

[Paco_P]

It is picking nits, but the economy wasn't really fine then either. It (e.g. especially the construction industry) was just being propped up by the EU. Unemployment was still incredibly high at the time.

However, that Spain didn't need to worry about 'more important' issues at the time does reinforce your point.

Dave.

That's just wrong. Unemployment was not high in 2004. That was the peak of the massive immigration to Spain, and people were coming because jobs were easy to find. The lines at the immigration office in 2005 took days. In particular, there were lots of jobs in construction. Things did not begin to implode until more like 2008 when credit dried up and financial liquidity collapsed and the real estate speculation boom ended. The change to the euro caused a lot of problems that no one talks about and somehow don't show up well in official figures. A lot of money had to come out of the underground or be lost, and it went into real estate. The influx of capital from Northern Europe also contributed. The EU wasn't propping anything up - it was causing the problems.

(Aside: If you're from the US, it's important to keep in mind that the US counts unemployment figures differently than everyone else - a very rough rule of thumb is that to compare with European numbers, double the US number. Spain's terrible, horrible economy right now, on paper, looks slightly better than California's (to compare two economies/countries of similar size). )

 

[D-Queued]

That's just wrong. Unemployment was not high in 2004. That was the peak of the massive immigration to Spain, and people were coming because jobs were easy to find. The lines at the immigration office in 2005 took days. In particular, there were lots of jobs in construction. Things did not begin to implode until more like 2008 when credit dried up and financial liquidity collapsed and the real estate speculation boom ended. The change to the euro caused a lot of problems that no one talks about and somehow don't show up well in official figures. A lot of money had to come out of the underground or be lost, and it went into real estate. The influx of capital from Northern Europe also contributed. The EU wasn't propping anything up - it was causing the problems.

(Aside: If you're from the US, it's important to keep in mind that the US counts unemployment figures differently than everyone else - a very rough rule of thumb is that to compare with European numbers, double the US number. Spain's terrible, horrible economy right now, on paper, looks slightly better than California's (to compare two economies/countries of similar size). )

Ok, we are headed off on a wild tangent.

But, I disagree with you.

The Spanish property bubble was one of the world's worst. Money was flowing from the EU into real estate projects - for which there was no foreseeable demand. Those 'construction' jobs were building a house of cards (sic).

And, we are talking about the timing of OP and whether or not anyone in Spain was paying attention. OP was in 2006, not 2004.

Even so, as Wikipedia notes, "Spain continued the path of economic growth when the ruling party changed in 2004, keeping robust GDP growth during the first term of prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, even though some fundamental problems in the Spanish economy were already evident"

Nobody in Spain was apparently paying attention to the complete false economy/enormous bubble that was about to burst let alone OP.

Dave.

 

[Andynonomous]

And AGAIN !

Again, a high level Spanish athlete, gets "exonerated" by Spain's judiciary.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/07/15/athletics-doping-dominguez-idUSLDE76E0XO20110715

... and AGAIN !...
http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/9215/The-Spanish-Anti-Doping-Agency-backs-Mosqueras-claims-of-innocence.aspx


We see quite a few low level athletes get sanctioned in Spain, but I don't remember any internationally acclaimed Spanish athletes ever getting sanctioned.

 

[Andynonomous]

Spain has a zero tolerance for doping !

Until it comes time to enforce it.


http://espn.go.com/olympics/story/_/id/6768595/spain-athletes-linked-doping-allowed-compete

 

[Cloxxki]

Is ever an attempt made to bring out reasons for arresting these people, and then reasons to let them go? The press releases are void of any such information.
How does the police organization feel about all this? They always get their man, and he always walks.

 

[sniper]

Is ever an attempt made to bring out reasons for arresting these people, and then reasons to let them go? The press releases are void of any such information.
How does the police organization feel about all this? They always get their man, and he always walks.

exactly
there seems to be a dividing line in spain between those who catch doping offenders and those who run the legal cases against them.
and indeed, no details are released whatsoever.
What was the initial evidence against Dominguez?
If she was accused an a false basis, will she now get a compensation for damage done to her image?

 

[Andynonomous]

Keep the judges out of it !

I think what this proves is that the homecountry judiciary and politicians cannot be trusted to be impartial, no matter how much "respect" that these officials demand.

Although I have highlighted the problems in Spain, other countries judiciaries have "exonerated" their compatriot athletes as well. For example Xavier Malisse, and Yanina Wickmayer were charged by a Belgian sports organization, then "cleared" by the Belgian courts. Both of their cases were open and shut (they failed to meet the out of competition reporting requirements).

http://www.rediff.com/sports/2009/dec/15belgian-court-overturns-bans-on-wickmayer-and-malisse.htm?print=true


Judges like to stick their noses into other organizations business. Much of the reason that sports organizations don't make more of an effort to stop doping, is because they know the athletes will be "cleared" by the courts (why spend the money and effort when you won't be successfull anyway?). Some way needs to be found to exclude homecountry courts from the sanctioning of doping CHEATS.

 

[Cloxxki]

Did you guys notice this one? http://es.pn/mOtXqO
You cannot think this stuff up.

MADRID -- Spain's government has altered legislation that previously banned athletes from competing for the country when linked to a doping investigation.

The decision comes days after world steeplechase champion Marta Dominguez was cleared of doping and drug-trafficking charges relating to Operation Galgo.

Spain's sports ministry still maintains the right to revoke an athlete's place on national teams, but has shied from the zero-tolerance stance it previously adopted.

Fourteen people were detained in December in relation to the Galgo probe.

European 1,500-meter champion Nuria Fernandez has been linked to Galgo, but now can compete at the world championships next month in South Korea.


Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

 

[sniper]

Only in Spain:

Terrados in 1998 jailed for gearing up ONCE:
http://elpais.com/diario/1998/09/09/...14_850215.html

Terrados in 2011 head of the Spanish Olympic Committee.
http://67.227.137.43/noticias/sevill...ntachable.html

I mean: WTF?

 

[sartoris]

Only in Spain:

Terrados in 1998 jailed for gearing up ONCE:
http://elpais.com/diario/1998/09/09/...14_850215.html

Terrados in 2011 head of the Spanish Olympic Committee.
http://67.227.137.43/noticias/sevill...ntachable.html

I mean: WTF?

Links not working... WTF??

 

[roundabout]

Only in Spain:

Terrados in 1998 jailed for gearing up ONCE:
http://elpais.com/diario/1998/09/09/...14_850215.html

Terrados in 2011 head of the Spanish Olympic Committee.
http://67.227.137.43/noticias/sevill...ntachable.html

I mean: WTF?

Have to say that the man has a pretty impressive CV. Or at least one that seems impressive.

http://www.vivirasturias.com/asturias/oviedo/terrados,-nicolas/es/

Surprised Gamin haven't snapped him up

 

[sniper]

this one should work:

http://67.227.137.43/noticias/sevilla-fc/nicolas-terrados-hoja-servicios-intachable.html

 

[Benotti69]

Only in Spain:

Terrados in 1998 jailed for gearing up ONCE:
http://elpais.com/diario/1998/09/09/...14_850215.html

Terrados in 2011 head of the Spanish Olympic Committee.
http://67.227.137.43/noticias/sevill...ntachable.html

I mean: WTF?

Good find.

Nothing surprises me anymore.

 

[the big ring]

Good find.

Nothing surprises me anymore.

+1 Great sleuthing.

We're seeing an instance of USADA winning a Federal court case partly because they can come under the USOC - USAC - USADA stream, but from my reading over the years, IOC is as equally corrupted & corrupting as the UCI appear to be.

How else do you explain Verbruggen becoming part of the IOC?

 

[Hawkwood]

+1 Great sleuthing.

We're seeing an instance of USADA winning a Federal court case partly because they can come under the USOC - USAC - USADA stream, but from my reading over the years, IOC is as equally corrupted & corrupting as the UCI appear to be.

How else do you explain Verbruggen becoming part of the IOC?

Back in the late 90s colleagues of mine were working on a way of detecting human growth hormone in athletes. They hoped to be able to get the IOC and others to adopt it. The IOC headed up by Samaranch set out to discredit the research.

 

[the big ring]

Back in the late 90s colleagues of mine were working on a way of detecting human growth hormone in athletes. They hoped to be able to get the IOC and others to adopt it. The IOC headed up by Samaranch set out to discredit the research.

Do you have any idea of the pause between

Researchers: Hey, IOC! New test for HGH, check it!

<pause>

IOC: I believe you are mistaken.

?

Just curious how long he needed to consult with people as to wtf HGH was, and the implications if you could detect it in people.

Or if it was simpler: new test = need for test = athletes using HGH = athletes caught = tarnished Olympics = lower revenues = no.

It's all about the money in the end.

 

[Hawkwood]

Do you have any idea of the pause between

Researchers: Hey, IOC! New test for HGH, check it!

<pause>

IOC: I believe you are mistaken.

?

Just curious how long he needed to consult with people as to wtf HGH was, and the implications if you could detect it in people.

Or if it was simpler: new test = need for test = athletes using HGH = athletes caught = tarnished Olympics = lower revenues = no.

It's all about the money in the end.

Can't remember the details now, but I think our team went to an IOC meeting in Italy to roll out their research. They were a bit surprised that Samaranch had brought a pet researcher along to rubbish the research.

 

[sniper]

More on Terrados' profile:

[In] 1998 Fuentes moves to Kelme. He collaborates there with Nicolas Terrados - a man with his fingers deep in the Festina scandal. Terrados was also the preparatore of Johann Muehlegg - the German-born Spanish cross-country skier who was busted for doping in the Salt Lake City Olympics in 2002.
http://honkbonkman.blogspot.de/2010/12/doping-dr-fuentes-bio.html

Recall he had already been busted in 1998 in relation to the ONCE/Festina EPO affaire and had been explicitly mentioned by Zülle as the provider and administrator of EPO on the ONCE team.

So, to be sure, this guy Terrados in 2011 occupies none other than the following top posts:

es profesor de la UNED, del Comité Olímpico Español (COE) y de la Universidad de Oviedo. (...) actualmente dirige el centro regional de medicina deportiva en Asturias.http://67.227.137.43/noticias/sevilla-fc/nicolas-terrados-hoja-servicios-intachable.html

reminds me a bit of how naturally Fuentes continued to fill medical positions at universities and sportclubs after Op. Puerto.