I try to stay out of this arguement about baned riders returning fro msuspensions to ride, especially since my favorite rider is Vino, but I have to comment now.
So Vino has to be assumed to be doping now because he doped before?? ok since the comparision has been made to a prisoner being given the right to come back to life lets do another comparision.
Prisoner has been arrested and served his time for the use of marijuana (Here in the US its illegal). So after his release, any time a cop sees him, he should be arrested on the spot because since he has been convicted of smoking pot before, then it should be assumed that he has smoked it again after getting out. That is the same as every rider that has been suspended for doping comes back from the suspension and its assumed that currently he is doping.
Is it understandable why people think this? Yes I can understand, thus why we have test. The police can have the above mentioned prisoner give a urine test, and it will comeback + or -, and this will give us the answer. Same for the rider, since his return from suspension, the last year Vino has given approx. 30 tests and all of them has returned negative. Thus, both the prisoner and Vino have the right to continue on with life/racing.
What to me is the reason why the media has ruined society is the fact someone says its a privilege to be a professional athlete. Its also a privilege to be a doctor. Guess what they both are?? A job, both the rider and a doctor have to be hired to perform the skills of said job.
The doctor could have been fired from previous jobs due to insubordination, being late to the job, maybe made a mistake that led to his firing. His next potential employer has the right to decide not to hire him, or they may decide that this doctor is good enough and his history isn't enough of a deterent that they still want to hire him. That is the right of the company to make their decision as long as he has his medical license.
Instead of using Vino, because of his connection to the Astana squad, lets use Basso. Basso approached Liquigas and said here is what I have produced, here is what I have shown in my training, I would like to be hired because I think I can perform for your squad. The team will look at his suspension, probably have their doctors check out his values and run test. If they think he is currently clean, and they think he will be an asset, they will hire him. As long as is racing license is intact, he has the right to go to his job.
I find we often make professional athletes more then what they are. Yes they are more visible to the public, they are an image. This is why they are paid more. They are paid on a specific skill. Same as a doctor makes tons ore then a cashier, because to be a doctor you have to have the skills and and knowledge to perform risky operations and diagnosis correctly. When you break it down though, they are doing what everyone in society does, they are going to work, and earning a paycheck.