Olympic weightlifting Encyclopedia 13

There is a wide spreading in weightlifting circles today that we can be the athletes from the area that was for the Soviet Union, Bulgarians and athletes from any whose litters to be on the rise at any time.

One reason often cited for this state of affairs is that the athletes in certain other countries well use Eastern Europe as an example because that is probably the area most often named by US athletes were and that the drugs are superior to those available to athletes in other countries. This argument overlooks the relatively primitive state of science in general and the pharmaceutical industry in particular in the Eastern European countries. Even if it were true that they have better drugs the discussion about drug testing presented earlier should serve to convince people in this country that arguments of this type are becoming less persuasive.

Another argument often given is that sports science in the Eastern European countries is far superior to that of the United States. In view of the dismal record of Eastern European science overall it is extremely doubtful that sports science in these countries is the equal of let alone superior to the sports science that is available in Western countries Political repression simply does not contribute to an environment in which science flourishes. Moreover, a centrally planned economy does not lead to the kind of economic well being that permits well rounded spending on scientific research or to the development of the kinds of technology that assist in scientific research. To look at just one area, in an age where computer aided research is inextricably intertwined with modern biological research, is it likely that countries with weak computer facilities would lead the world in research in a biological area? Western superiority in medicine, biology, chemistry and engineering strongly suggests that sports science should be better in the West than in Eastern Europe ( an advantage that may not long continue if the countries of Eastern Europe move towards Westernization.)