The human cost of cheating
Lynne Bell
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听听听听听听听听听听听 As I write this, headlines around the world include phrases like: 鈥渘uclear option鈥� and 鈥渘ew global arms race鈥�, and within certain news stories, the words 鈥渂ribery鈥�, 鈥渃orruption鈥�, 鈥渋ntimidation鈥�, 鈥渟candal鈥� and even 鈥渟ecret police鈥� and 鈥淚nterpol鈥� turn up again and again.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Am I talking about a massive criminal undertaking or a spying scandal? Well, it depends on how you look at it.
听听听听听听听听听听听 A report released recently regarding a widespread state-sponsored doping scandal in Russia has rocked the world of elite (ahem) amateur sport and has raised the possibility of Russia and its athletes being banned from competing in international competition- an outcome which may even disallow the country from sending a team to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio.
听听听听听听听听听听听 The independent report investigating Russia's (ahem again) alleged athletic enhancement program was commissioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and its findings include the following allegations: secret police inside a key anti-doping laboratory, hundreds of samples destroyed immediately before a key inspection by WADA, evidence of bribes and extortion, the intimidation of doping control officers within Russia, and the use of false identities to avoid testing.
听听听听听听听听听听听 All very Spy versus Spy, if you ask me.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Should Russia and its athletes be banned in an effort to clean up international competition? Perhaps.
听听听听听听听听听听听 I feel extremely unqualified to venture an opinion and more than a little cynical about doping in sports-and not only as it pertains to Russia.
听听听听听听听听听听听 However, I think anything that can bring back a modicum of fairness in competition and ease the ill-effects of cheating on athletes is a good thing.
听听听听听听听听听听听 At the Olympic-or any level of sport involving the athletic aristocracy-athletes are under enormous self-imposed pressure already. Then, add physical, psychological and financial pressure to the mix. Now, ask yourself if you'd say no to anything your country's regime and/or leader required of you-especially if you didn't come from a country like Canada.
听听听听听听听听听听听 I think a big part of the story here are the risks athletes take-physically, psychologically, and emotionally-when they ingest performance-enhancing substances and/or are compelled to cheat their way to the podium.
听听听听听听听听听听听 In the instance of doping, athletes often pay a long-term price regarding their physical and emotional health later in life, especially if they ingest steroids.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Athletes who compete cleanly suffer if they are robbed of their true potential if they must compete against chemically-enhanced competitors; while cheaters risk emotional consequences, that stay with them forever. Cyclist Tyler Hamilton who admitted cheating chemically as Lance Armstrong's teammate wrote in his memoir, 鈥淭he Secret Race鈥�: 鈥淚t's difficult to tell the truth, but it feels good. I lied to my parents, my brother, my sister, my friends, my co-workers. But enough was enough. It took its toll. It was very difficult to hold in.鈥�
听听听听听听听听听听听 For the most part, cheating athletes are the by-product of a corrupt system. And the Olympic movement has a duty to protect the health of athletes.
听听听听听听听听听听听 Whatever sanctions Russia receives or doesn't receive as a result of this investigation, the human cost of cheating in competition should also be addressed.
听听听听听听听听听听听 The goal should include fair competition in the future as well as the well-being of athletes.
听听听听听听听听听听听 In truth, one can't exist without the other.
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Russian athletics scandal, how do they proceed?
By Kelly Running
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听听听听听听听听听听听 Recently in the news it's been brought to light that Russian athletes were caught by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). A report alleged that there was a collusion between athletes and the government, while alluding to the nature of taking performance enhancing drugs as common place amongst Russian athletes.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 On Friday athletes were banned from competing internationally and there was discussion about stripping medals from athletes found guilty of doping at past Olympic events including Sochi and London.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 The issue arises then about stripping medals, do you take the medals and award them to the athletes who finished below those that have been found to have been doping? Also,听 should all Russian athletes be punished for what their fellow countrymen allegedly did in collusion with the government?
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Would any of them be innocent or would the government have gotten to them all?
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 It's a difficult situation, and it begs the question of how far back the doping actually goes and do you punish everyone for something they might not have done.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Obviously the ones that took drugs are guilty and do not deserve their accolades, but Sochi was in 2014 and it seems like a doping scandal would be something that should be caught sooner than two years after the fact. Yes, the Olympics were held in Russia, but you would think that the International Olympic Committee or WADA would have caught on sooner considering they are made up of multiple nations, not just the host nation of the Olympics.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 So, yes the government and the athletes are to fault, but on a higher level the people who are supposed to be regulating everything and making the Olympics into a fair playing field to showcase the best athletics in the world.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Although I believe repercussions are necessary for the athletes and the government, but most importantly fixing and ensuring the situation won't develop again is more important than dealing with the past. It's disappointing that it happened in the first place, but it needs to be rectified in a way to stop the situation from developing ever again.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Although I agree medals should be stripped and redistributed to those that deserve them, it seems to me that the Olympics are very much ceremony oriented and does receiving a medal now, say if you got fourth place in a sporting event and two years later you found out someone else had cheated, does receiving the bronze medal then have the same feeling of receiving it at the Olympics. Standing on the podium, watching as your flag is raised above the stadium comes with a feeling that could never be recreated.
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Additionally for honest athletes looking to compete for their country, how does it feel to now possibly be banned or have to compete as an independent athlete?
听听听听听听听听听听听听听听听 Part of being within the Olympics would come with representing your country and the pride you take in that. However, at the same time if the Olympic Committee would allow Russian athletes to participate as independent athletes it may allow the country to save some face after such a scandal.
