Another build-up to a major competition . . . the European athletics championships start tomorrow . . . hindered by a sport that suffers implosion after implosion. Justin Gatlin, joint-fastest man in the world after running 9.77secs in May jumps on the testosterone bandwagon, the new weapon of choice, and faces a life ban.

Coming hot on the heels of Floyd Landis . . . here were two guys people wanted to believe in, who seemed genuine . . . it's another reason for the fans to wonder about the veracity of anything seen in the world of individual sports like athletics and cycling. It's scandal after scandal at times.

Ever get the feeling you've been here before? Balco, Remi Korchemny, Dwain Chambers don't seem all that long ago.

Chambers is a British 100m runner who trained under Ukranian Korchemny and was banned for two years for the use of THG in 2003. He's back in the UK team for next week's championships as a medal prospect. The circle keeps growing and fans predictably become cynical.

And as the names are getting bigger and the list more extensive, well, the excuses keep on flowing, each more dubious than the next. As Floyd Landis and his legal team grope around for a reason as to why his testosterone/epitestosterone level was allegedly measured around 11:1 as opposed to the accepted max of 4:1 (alcohol, dehydration, natural high levels have been touched on), Justin Gatlin's masseur got heaped with the blame. The fact that his coach Trevor Graham has a history with this sort of thing, has a list of athletes who've been banned that'd make the old East Germany envious leaves a hint of a trail. The 'if ' question should probably be replaced by the why and the how. The everybody-else-is-doing-it syndrome will continue. Athletes see incredible times posted.

Athletes train and see no noticeable improvement. Athletes face pressure to reach 'A' standards measured against guys who may not be clean, athletes come across coaches only too willing to pass around whatever it takes.

Athletes are only human.

There are those who might aim a sneer across the Atlantic and shift most of the blame onto the frenzied, beefed-up existence of US track and field.

And sure, lots of the high profile catches have been the top names in the system over there, the Tim Montgomerys and the Kelli Whites of this world. But the Europeans ain't exactly shy teenagers when it comes to doping. Check out some of the medalists from the last European Championships in Munich 2002. Men's 100m winner Chambers we've mentioned already and he had his medal taken away. Men's 200m winner Kostas Kenteris might strike a chord of recognition as one of the pair of Greek sprinters who skipped a couple of drug tests before the Athens Olympics and went as far as faking a motorbike crash. Men's 5,000m winner Alberto Garcia from Spain received a two-year ban in 2003 for the use of EPO. Men's 10,000m silver medalist Dieter Baumann is just back from a two-year ban for use of nandrolone, a case that shocked the athletics community as much for the sniggering that met the allegation Baumann's toothpaste was doctored by a rival as the fact the German had been as vociferous as Paula Radcliffe in the fight against drugs. Men's discus winner Robert Fazekas was stripped of a gold a few years later in Athens for problems with a urine sample as was his compatriot, hammer thrower Adrian Annus who'd also taken gold in both championships.

That's just the men by the way.

Women's 100m winner in Munich four years ago was Katerina Thanou, the other half of Dumb and Dumber on the motorbike in Athens and also serving a two-year ban right now. Women's 1500m winner Sureyya Ayhan is serving a two-year ban for avoidance of doping controls and trying to submit a sample from another source. Women's 800m winner Jolanda Ceplak was hit by serious accusations from Kelly Holmes after romping away with the win and the 20km walk winner Olympiada Ivanova had earlier served a two-year ban for doping. The shotput gold winner Irina Korzhanenko was stripped of her Olympic medal in Athens two years later after testing positive for stanozolol and was hit with a life ban, an earlier two years out not having done the job.

That's some list of names that have been questioned or found guilty from just the one championships and depressingly, they're probably just the careless or unlucky ones.

The hits keep on coming over here, even if they might not be as headline-stealing as the fastest man in the world. In the last week and a half two more top Europeans have been caught and dealt with.

Natalya Sadova, the Olympic discus champ, has two years on the sidelines to think about her ban for steroids on a test from a meet in the Netherlands in May. Hungarian sprinter Gabor Boros, in the top 20 for the 100m in Europe, faces a life ban after initial tests showed a high testosterone level. Both were previously banned for doping matters, seemingly little deterrent in a world where times and distances matter more than samples.

For all this, more tests are being performed on athletes than ever before and baby steps are being taken in the fight. The US Olympic Committee finally took the hint this week and banned Trevor Graham from any of its training centres. The organisers of the Berlin meet have barred any of Graham's athletes . . .

that's runners like Marion Jones, Shaun Crawford (Olympic 200m champion) and Dwight Thomas . . . from racing there in September, another subtle blow to links with doping. The fact that a fair percentage are still actually doping in some form or another though says a lot.

Trouble is, with all the negative publicity, all extraordinary feats are being hauled up for judgement. A personal best blown away by a few points of a second is met with a sceptical reaction. It's getting harder and harder to pick out, yet alone put faith in, the genuine article . . . even if we're told 90 per cent of athletes are clean, how do we believe that?

How do we know which ones?

The question, as we face into another week of athletes lining up on the starting blocks, isn't so much whether we believe in them, their times, their stories.

It's whether or not, after all the let downs, people really care anymore.

THE HALL OF SHAME Ben Johnson Shocked the world in 1988 by beating the world record for 100m at the Olympics in Seoul before testing positive for stanozolol. Banned for life after getting caught for testosterone in 1993.

Linford Christie Former British 100m Olympic champ tested positive for nandrolone in 1999. Twoyear ban was struck off by UK board only to be reinstated by IAAF.

CJ Hunter First of Trevor Graham's athletes to come to light. Won shotput World Championship in 1999 but was banned after testing positive for nandrolone in 2000.

Tim Montgomery Denied using anything and never tested positive but was implicated in the notorious Balco scandal and banned for two years on back of evidence given.

Kelli White American sprinter lost two gold medals from 2003 World Champs after admitting use of performance enhancing substances obtained from Balco.

Michelle Collins Another Balco/Trevor Graham product, another world champion sprinter.

Banned for four years.

Jerome Young A Graham sprinter banned for life after testing positive for EPO in 2003, having also tested positive in 1999 but the US authorities decided to take no action.

Justin Gatlin Equalled the world record for 100m in May, tested positive for testosterone in April.

Already has served a year ban for doping in 2001 but came back to win Olympic and World golds in 2004 and 2005. Facing a life ban.