if at first you don’t succeed
As a cyclist of sorts, doping scandals and the institutionalised acceptance of the bleedin’ obvious are nothing new to me. Yet even the actions of old disgraces pale into virtual insignificance beside the recent revelations of Russia’s state-sanctioned doping programme. Yes, we all knew that many of its athletes, across many sports, had illegally enhanced their performances but to find out the true extent of cheating is nothing short of mind-boggling: between 2012 and 2015, Russian sports officials covered up, or interfered with, 312 positive drugs tests in 28 different sports.
So shocking were the disclosures that the International Olympic Committee quite rightly tabled an outright and all-encompassing ban on the whole Russian team attending the imminent Rio Olympics. That was before completely bottling it and taking a non-decision which all-but sanctions the actions of the Russian Federation. Shocking and farcical in equal measure and the members should be ashamed of the lack of backbone they have shown. Yes, ‘clean’ athletes would have been prevented from competing but this would have been as a result of Russian drugs policies and practices, not the IOC’s decision, and these athletes should have held their country responsible and to account.
Apparently, eleventh position in the Winter Games of 2010 was simply too hard for our Vlad to swallow as he personally sanctioned the state’s complete connivance in every aspect of the doping programme, to the level that he was personally notified whenever a Russian athlete tested positive. Having been caught red-handed Russia’s claim now is now the old one about everybody being at it, and them having to do so to enable a level-playing field. I would probably concede that there are certain rogue states (China, Kenya?) and it’s more prevalent in some sports than others but if it’s across the board then I’m a Dutchman.
Mind, my favourite all-time cycling doping quote is from France’s Tour winner of the 50s, Jacques Anquetil, who, when asked if he doped, replied “yes, but only when absolutely necessary”. And when asked when it had proved ‘absolutely necessary’ came back immediately with the fantastic retort “all the time of course!” As within cycling, the means and mechanics of the actual Russian doping are about as sophisticated as I am tall: secret holes in hotel walls, ‘mules’ to provide clean wee, motorcyclists carrying the contraband to wherever it was needed, look-outs in the hedgerows, Russian intelligence officers (spies – ed) posing as sewerage engineers, table salt poured into the samples as they were… er collected. Hardly the stuff of science fiction.
So, from one extreme to the other, I was delighted to read of the escapades of another athlete, sportswoman Diana Nyad, who, at the grand old age of 64, finally managed to swim unassisted from Cuba to her native Florida, 36 years after her first attempt! Diana’s superhuman effort to cover the 110 miles of shark-and-box-jellyfish infested water, in a barely believable 53 hours, truly displays grit, determination & human-spirit the rest of us can only wonder at. She remained unable to walk, or even talk, for hours following its completion and I for one would not have begrudged her any quantity of drug either before, during or after the endeavour! Oh, if only the members of the IOC had shown such strength, tenacity & perseverance in the face of adversity.
