Tom Boonen tested positive for the third time.
The first time was kept quiet in typical Belgian fashion.
It seems he has a problem that should be taken care of.

Any athleet that is amongst the best has to live with publicity even if this publicity limits his or hers freedom in matters that are considered as private.

However he’s a role model for thousands of young people and needs to behave like a role model or face the consequences. This was clearly spelled out after his first misdemeanour. It should be no surprise to anyone when the book is thrown at him.

Why are the sport’s governing bodies taking this all so seriously?

a) Because the sport’s image is at stake – tabloid newspapers will be reporting that ‘another cyclist takes drugs’ without discussing all the nuances above.

b) Because the UCI, olympics and others have woken up that they need to stamp out drug abuse in sport before the credibility of their franchise is lost forever

c) Because it’s the right thing to do – How many times does this have to happen before cyclists realise that taking drugs is not something which is compatible with being a professional sportsperson.

As for your “no acceptable illegal drug use” statement: there’s all kinds of “illegal” drug use—what if Boonen had taken a drug that is completely legal, but banned during competition, like Sudafed?

What if he had taken a drug that is legal by prescription, non-performance enhancing, for it’s intended medical use, but after the prescription had expired?

What if he had taken a drug that is legal in one country, and then got caught peeing it out in another?

The reason the UCI and WADA have codified rules is to prevent these questions from coming up. In each case, there are no sanctions enforceable by either organization because they’ve determine that their mission is not advanced by penalizing riders in these cases.

So yes, I think it’s reasonable for us, the fans, to expect them, the pros, to behave perfectly. In competition, and out of competition. Cycling has a massive drug problem – so that means there is no acceptable illegal drug use for a pro cyclist. There is no shade of grey there.

If a pro, such as Boonen, can’t handle that pressure, then by all means sack them, suspend them, ban them – whatever. There are literally millions of cyclists around the world that would happily step into their shoes at any opportunity.

The second offense has also violated his probation; that’s not so good either.

Many employers institute random drug testing; the UCI is basically doing it for them.

If Tom want to keep his job, he needs to get help. I do wish him Godspeed in his recovery.

It’s unclear to me whether the Flemish Community mentioned is a local body for cycling or sport (like USA Cycling or USADA) or a local law enforcement body.

Either way, it seems like an awfully exploitable situation for the authorities to have civic police bodies testing athletes performance enhancing drugs, or to have sporting bodies enforcing civic laws.

But his actions were dealing with an illegal substance, violating the codified rules (ie. laws) of society. So yeah, breaking the law probably will impact Boonen’s event starts. Or it might not…it is Belgium after all….