The thing I love most about the Olympics is the inspirational stories. The times when an athlete has surpassed their personal best, overcome an adversity to compete or to medal, or broken a world record.
As I hear of more and more athletes being found guilty of using illegal performance enhancing substances, I find it harder to keep cynicism at bay. I'll cheer and be excited when a record is set and then wonder if the athlete was clean.
In the year leading up to Beijing, Marion Jones had her 5 medals won in the 2000 Sydney Games taken away due to her testimony at the Balco steroids trial. Ironically, the Greek athlete who could inherit one of the golds avoided pre-race drug testing at the Athens Games resulting in her ban from both Athens and Beijing. (The IOC is discussing this matter and will likely leave the placing vacant.)
A third member of the US 4x400 meter relay team admitted to doping at the Sydney Olympics. In addition seven Russian track and field athletes - including a world champion, were pulled from the Beijing Games for tampering with their urine samples. Three Romanian 1500m runners were kept home for suspected blood boosting. After eleven members tested positive for steroids, Bulgaria withdrew most of it's weightlifting team from the Games.
I don't understand how an athlete can repeatedly state in front of the world that they are clean, only to have their medals taken away years later for using a banned substance. How can someone be proud of winning when they cheated? Wouldn't it be tainted somehow? Wouldn't they know deep down that what they're doing is wrong?
Perhaps they rationalize it by telling themselves that other athletes in their event use steroids so they need to as well. The monetary rewards some countries give athletes if they win a medal may also be part of the problem. Plus there are potential commercial endorsement deals worth millions of dollars.
The monetary rewards for medals range from the $15,000 Euros that Germany rewards for a gold medal win to the approximately $190,000 Euros that Greece offers.
In an attempt to add to it's first and only medal win in 1960, Singapore is offering almost $500,000 Euro for a gold medal win. Even Canada will now award medal winners with financial bonuses at the Beijing Games.
The anti-doping arm of the IOC is hard pressed to keep up with let alone keep ahead of any new drugs or anti-detection substances. They are very diligent in their efforts to keep the Games drug-free.
Is there a solution? Will the Olympics ever be drug free? Is it a reflection of society? I can't answer that. I guess we just have to focus on the larger majority of the athletes who compete in the true spirit of the Games.
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