Paul Kent of the Australian Daily Telegraph is pissed off about Marion Jones and the seeming epidemic of cheating in the Olympics. The sheer volume of it has tarnished his memories of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, and it's easy to understand why. His essay comes off as one long tirade, but he's justified in it.
I have to wonder if we're coming to the end of international competitive amateur sports. The Olympic committees of some countries seem to be completely invested in cheating - as an example, in 2000 the Chinese Government pulled 24 athletes from the games to avoid drug tests. And numerous other countries with well-funded programs - e.g. the U.S., Canada, the Czech Republic, Greece - have been shown woefully inadequate to the cause of preventing cheating. The litany of cheaters identified by Kent is astonishing.
It's important to remember that Jones only came forward under threat of criminal charges in addition to those she was already facing for perjury. I hope Marion Jones does more than the six months in jail that most sports writers are suggesting is likely.
The only drawback to Jones losing her medals is that they might go to Greek sprinter Ekaterini Thanou, who evaded her drug test at the 2004 Olympics and was banned from competing in those games and for two years after. It's rumored that the IOC is looking for a way to avoid promoting Thanou to the gold, because what's the point of shaming one cheater if you wind up elevating another?
It's all a horrible, unseemly, depressing morass. I agre with Lord (Sebastian) Coe, who says that he feels that there should be no winner of that final.
amontagne
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2007-10-11 01:29:26
It's sad that it seems to imply that a lot of them do it, just not many are caught.
I_Am_Not_Herbert
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2007-10-08 09:47:42
rant/
1) Competitive amateur sports won't be missed by me. This obsession with "pure sport" is old-fashioned and pointless.
2) It's time to change the rules. This obsession with the "pure athlete" is old-fashioned and pointless. It's a completely arbitrary line between what is and is not against the rules.
I want to see the best competing at their maximum potential. It's time to stop romanticizing sport and start playing it.
/rant
cpbell0033944
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re:
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2007-10-08 09:54:39
I_Am_Not_Herb
ert wrote:
rant/
1) Competitive amateur sports won't be missed by me. This obsession with "pure sport" is old-fashioned and pointless.
2) It's time to change the rules. This obsession with the "pure athlete" is old-fashioned and pointless. It's a completely arbitrary line between what is and is not against the rules.
I want to see the best competing at their maximum potential. It's time to stop romanticizing sport and start playing it.
/rant
I must confess I do not agree in principle, as I still feel that the Olympic spirit is a worthwhile force for good, but in practice? Possibly you're right.
