Madam, - Lincoln Allison makes a number of quite ridiculous arguments in favour of allowing athletes to use performance-enhancing substances (Opinion, August 12th).
Firstly, he proposes that this would somehow level the playing field. However, in reality those athletes with the most resources behind them would have access to the most advanced substances and would therefore have an unfair advantage.
Secondly, he suggests that athletes would take on the inherent risks of this drug-taking of their own free will. Surely, with national pressure and the big corporation money that backs sports, athletes would be coerced into drug use with no regard for their long-term health.
Finally, despite widely available evidence to the contrary, Mr Allison plays down the health risks. I hope that no one who cares about sport or the welfare of athletes will accept his arguments. - Yours, etc.,
Dr LARKIN FEENEY, Linenhall Terrace, Dublin 7.
Madam, - The libertarian principle that the behaviour of adult citizens, provided it doesn't cause harm to others, is their own business, goes back to John Stuart Mill. It extends - or logically should extend - to the freedom of individuals to consume whatever chemicals take their fancy.
However, the problem with allowing the use of drugs in sport is that it artificially raises the standards of performance. Any young person who aspired to be a top-ranking athlete would have no option but to become a doper. That would surely be highly undesirable from any point of view, including a libertarian one.- Yours, etc.,
PAUL O'BRIEN, Bertram Court, Dublin, 8.
Madam, - By taking performance-enhancing drugs, Cathal Lombard has disgraced himself, his country, and the spirit of sport. He is a cheat.
His admission of guilt, however, should be respected and commended. In a world desperately in need of heroic icons to represent what is still good and right in this world, and in an Ireland where many people still believe that Michelle de Bruin did nothing wrong, his decision to hold up his hands and tell the truth was a genuine act of heroism.
By acknowledging his mistake, Cathal Lombard has not only set an example for many of his "innocent" co-cheaters, but he has pressed many people to change their outlook from blatant denial to begrudging acceptance.
Once the shock and disgrace of this episode has subsided, we would do well to remember that amid all the wrongdoing is someone who eventually did the right thing. - Yours, etc.,
CATHAL Ó CAOILTE, Halpenny Bridge House, Lower Ormonde Quay, Dublin 1.
Madam, - Enough of the disgraced athlete and his EPO. Let's hear lots more about those who are prepared to compete on their own unaided merits - who carry our hope and our pride, and our sense of fair play.
Athletics is for all; youth today is badly in need of role models who rely on their own talent and determination to succeed , people like Maria McCambridge, who just would not take "no" for an answer and is at last on her way to Athens.
Best of luck to all our Olympians. - Yours, etc.,
MARIE BOYLE, Butterfield Drive, Rathfarnham, Dublin 14.
Madam, - Forget the penultimate and ultimate oxymorons offered on this page. Surely the one for today's readership is "Olympic glory". - Yours, etc.,
OLIVER McGRANE, Marley Avenue, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16.