Phonak, a Swiss company producing hearing aids, has supported a cycling team for the last 7 years. The most famous team member was Floyd Landis, whose win of the 2006 Tour de France race has just been cancelled on the basis of a positive test for testosterone. Andy Rihs, the CEO of Phonak, has just announced that he is dissolving the Phonak team at the end of this year (check out the statement on the Phonak website). He is totally disappointed, as this is the 14th case of doping in this team since 2001. Floyd Landis, as all the cyclists, had signed the ethics charter, and was fired after the results came out.
If companies cannot count on the athletes respecting the terms of their contracts and of the code of ethics (not to mention the spirit of fair competition), then maybe the best thing is to withdraw sponsorship, or dissolve the whole team. If their livelihood is threatened, maybe the athletes will exert enough peer pressure to clean up this and many other sports.
I understand what are you trying to implement. I am glad you have expressed your own idea and view point about this topic. :)
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