Equestrian: Todd innocent until he's proven guilty

Drug cheats in sport deserve anything and everything thrown at them.

There are no excuses for letting yourself, your team-mates or, in the widest application, your country down by taking banned substances.

Mark Todd, like every member of the New Zealand Olympic team, is bound by the International Olympic Committee's anti-doping code.

If there is any evidence of a breach of these rules, any National Olympic Committee has the right to withdraw - or not select - any athlete.

That the New Zealand NOC board members did not take such steps when considering Mark Todd's case, strongly suggests they felt they did not have what could be considered "sufficient evidence."

In the absence of any "confirm or deny" statement from Todd - and who can blame him for that? - the board had to make a judgment call.

That board members, including a couple of lawyers, declined to throw Todd out, strongly suggests they were not prepared to leave themselves open to the possibility ofa legal challenge.

Further backing Todd's right to remain a member of the Sydney Olympic equestrian team is the absence of a positive drug test at any time in a long and highly-public career.

For certain, Todd has been tested on at least one occasion - perhaps more - at equestrian events in Europe this year.

There have been competitions at Banbury and Lulworth in the past couple of weeks. It is fair to assume Todd and perhaps other equestrian team members have been subjected to testing at one or other events.

Any positive results would be conveyed to the New Zealand Equestrian Federation and, presumably, the New Zealand Sports Drug Agency. There has been no word.

Only at "in-competition tests" can there be testing for "recreational drugs," including cocaine and marijuana.

To test for such substances out of competition is seen as a breach of individual rights even if cocaine is classed under the drugs act as a stimulant.

Law 4.3 of the Athletes Agreement signed by all New Zealand team members, states ... "In the event of an athlete returning a positive drug test, then the NZOC will exclude this athlete from being selected for an NZOC team for a period of four years ... "

Todd is no doubt well aware of that.

He would also be aware that a drug such as cocaine will return a positive test for only about seven days.

The manner in which some branches of the media have called for Todd's head has, thankfully, not been backed by public opinion, showing there are too many commentators who are happy to jump on any bandwagon and point fingers.

To dump Todd on the evidence of a flimsy photograph allegedly taken from a video film clip would surely be saying "guilty until proven innocent."

He, or any other team member, does not deserve that.