Vision statement, May 2009

Within sports, the use of doping substances are performed in a fairly controlled manner close to coaches, managements, medical examinations and doctors. However outside of sports, and next to all of us, it is a free rider sucking supporters from young boys and girls who believe in a quick fix by simply taking a chemical shortcut. They do it outside of any control and they can only hope that it will not be hazardous.
     
LOOKING INTO THE WAR ON DOPING
The topic is as hot today as it has been the last several decades. We want to create a film where we meet the top level officials in the largest sports confederations in the world, the most exposed winning athletes, the team of young soccer players in a small community, girls and boys at a rough gym downtown, the sponsors, the coaches, the parents, the convicted dopers and the people who put efforts and money into the standpoint that doping should be legalized because it can’t be stopped anyway.

FOR AND AGAINST
The backbone of this documentary film will be the voices from both sides. Along with a trustworthy story telling from the person in the world who, with very few doubts, is the most knowledgeable and strongest authority in the subject, Professor Arne Ljungqvist.

THE OPPORTUNITY – FOLLOWING A LIVING LEGEND
We have the fortunate opportunity to have close access to the man who has influenced the development more than anyone else since the cold war. Professor Ljungqvist is a living legend and he has agreed, for the first time and exclusively, to tell the story on film and to open up the doors to his wide and deep network within the field.

During 40 years he has dedicated his life to this issue without any economic benefits in particular. He is considered a ”good man” and has now in fact earned a higher position in the field, than the sum of all the organization’s membership on top management level can offer him. Some initiated high profile officials from these organizations tells us his mission stands for values above the IOC, WADA, IAAF and even the UNESCO.

A GENUINE MISSION VERSUS GENUINE ENEMIES
The fact that Professor Ljungqvist also has had enemies along the way makes the story even more intriguing. Enemies behind the standpoint of legalizing doping in sports, enemies on bureaucratic-, medical- or technical- grounds because of how the testing and analysis procedures are performed around the world, enemies because of jealousy for his position and power, enemies because producers are threatened, because lots of money are at stake, because athletes are being caught and because syndicates lose power.

The driving force and mission for the former Olympic high jumper, Medical Doctor and Professor is however, a genuine and undisputed medical concern for the coming generations. He says: ”It’s not necessarily about tracking down the cheats in sports, but to help kids and coming athletes to avoid
the chemical shortcuts to misery.”

A RESPONSIBILITY TO INFORM
Having been given this opportunity, we feel a responsibility to inform the world about the issues in motion and the knowledge given to us. It has evolved into an ambition to inform about both sides of the war and by that hopefully give each and every individual a somewhat better possibility to understand the matters and by that be able to make a better judgment for themselves.

 

OUR STANDPOINT
We are doing a historical overview of an ongoing phenomenon. In our hearts we feel that doping in sports is cheating, but we are not chasing scandals or individual athletes in order to track them down for punishments. We understood at an early stage that this film cannot give final answers, so we hope that by telling a story and by raising questions, we can contribute to a situation where better judgments will be made by those who want to.

Stockholm 2009-05-08

Bjorn Bertoft and Mats Omne