I find that hard to believe. He certainly doesn't believe that the honor system is enough to guarantee everyone is following the rules. Then offering a pro card to the winner? That will make sure there is no incentive to cheat.
Team Universe was always the event that qualified you to go to the IFBB World Amateur Championships. But the Worlds were not a drug tested event until rather recently. Tom Platz, Bob Paris, Rich Gaspari, Mohammed Benaziza, Pavol Jablonicky, Achim Albrecht, Ronnie Coleman, Gunter Schlierkamp, Jean Pierre Fux all won their class at the World Amateur Championships. Don't think any of them claimed they did it drug free.
Then, with Ben's obsession to get bodybuilding into the Olympics, they declared the Worlds would be drug tested. When they started testing the winners, more failed than not. In 2002, 14 of 18 (top 3 in 6 classes) failed and were disqualified.
The Worlds are now suppose to be drug free, so therefore, the qualifier has to be declared drug free. But I see no evidence that the NPC is trying to guarantee that it's drug free. No one has been DQed for failing a drug test. No one lost their pro card.
It is true that the NPC selects a drug tested team of wt classes to the IFBB world chamionships. Let me bore you with some history of this you may already know
This used to be done over 20 years ago by the old AAU Mr America to send guys to the Universe (of course no real drug testing existed back then). The team selection started as a low key "add on" to the NPC nationals. The winner of each wt class was given an invite to join the team , if and only if he was willing to take a drug test via urine at the show. In 1991 Ronnie Coleman did NOT win the Hvy wt nationals div, he was the only guy in the top 10 willing to take and then pass the drug test that year. He turned pro by winning the IFBB Hvy wt world chamionships at a body wt of around 217. In 1993 as a graduate student I drafted a letter to NOC chair Jim Manion, that stated with the recent popularity of the NPC Ironman Natural show, many drug free bodybuilders enjoyed bein in the NPC, but felt shut out on the national scene. He sent me a reply letter explain that the NPC would start a seperate national drug tested show to select the IFBB world championship team called the "team universe" due the old universe name given to the world chamionships of years past. He said in the letter that he hoped this would provide a path to national contests and even a possible pro card (*if they won the world chamionships) for natural bodybuilders.
I was thrilled despite never having the gumption to compete in the Team U, which I regret .
My impression from his letter to me was that he was simply giving a seperate and viable path for natural bodybuilders to use all the way to national and pro level. I suspect he knew guys would try and cheat, etc.
It was a practical solution for us naturals , no more, no less.
This was similar to the figure div morphing from the fitness for gals that did NOT want to do routines but wanted to compete with a fitness ratehr than female bodybuilder physique.Say what you will about the effectiveness of the drug testing at the Team U, but give Manion and the NPC credit for listening to the demands and needs of those that compete in the NPC.
Howard
