Breaking news: There will be myriad drug cheats competing at Rio 2016. Medals will be hung around the necks of doped athletes. Some will be found out, others will not. Some will retain those medals for all time.
Others will be exposed in the ensuing years as having collected ill-gotten gains, like Russian race walker Sergey Kirdyapkin who was forced to surrender his gold medal to Australia’s Jared Tallent nearly four years after he cheated at London 2012.
There is no guarantee that Australia’s 400-plus athletes heading to Brazil will all be squeaky clean. Indeed, this week the Australian Olympic Committee trimmed its team by one with the removal of wrestler Vinod Kumar, who has recently returned a positive drug test.
Since drug testing was introduced at Mexico City in 1968 the Games have been tainted by doping.
The biggest scandal however was laid bare many years after the event and sadly it resulted in no penalties.
It was not until after the Berlin Wall came down in 1989 that the true extent of East Germany’s state-sanctioned and financed doping regime became known.
It was discovered that the East German sports system took doping to a whole new level.
Investigations post-1989 have spawned many books and documentaries outlining the lengths the country went to in its quest to triumph at various Olympics and world championships through the Cold War era.
The Olympic records of that period are forever warped with clean athletes robbed of their moment in the sun.
Australia’s Raelene Boyle is a case in point.
She won silver medals behind East German Renate Stecher in the 100m and 200m at Munich in 1972. Documentation uncovered later revealed that Stecher chose to scale down her drug use post-Munich in order to reduce the risk of birth abnormalities when she started a family.
However, when you peruse any Olympic records today Stecher is still accorded the honour of being a triple Olympic champion.
Boyle, meanwhile, has to content herself with the fact that she was robbed.
There is still a more worrying aftermath of the East German era and that involves sprinter Marita Koch whose 1985 world record in the 400m – set at a World Cup meet in Canberra – still stands as the official benchmark for the women’s one-lap event.
That it does is a disgrace as there exists documented evidence that Koch was a drug cheat.
Thirty-one years hence her ‘synthetic’ world record remains the target of all those who run the event.
That day in Canberra she also anchored the East German 4x100m relay team that set a world record that lasted 27 years through until the London Olympics.
The East German doping system was overseen by the Stasi, the country’s secret police.
Their files, liberated for the world to see post-1989, indicated that as many as 10,000 athletes were chemically enhanced.
Many of them, in their early to mid-teens, were both doped and duped as they were fed the line that what they were being given was vitamin pills.
In recent years, successful class actions have been brought against the German government by female athletes who delivered children with birth deformities as a result of the drugs they were given.
While many of them were merely pawns used ruthlessly by the communist regime, many others like Koch did so knowing full well they were cheating.
And now, here we are in 2016, and world sport is facing a similar situation.
The issue of doping surrounding Russian sport has been bubbling along for a few years but this week the lid was blown off.
A report penned by Canadian law professor Richard McLaren, concluded that “Russia’s Ministry of Sport directed, controlled and oversaw the manipulation of athlete’s analytical results or sample swapping, with the active participation and assistance of the FSB [Russia’s federal security service], and both Moscow and Sochi Laboratories.”
The report identified that over 8000 samples had been destroyed from athletes across two dozen sports.
It was the kind of stuff that corrupted international sport during the East German period.
McLaren says given that he had 57 days to compile the report it may only be the tip of the iceberg.
Upon the report’s release, IOC President Thomas Bach labelled its findings, “shocking and unprecedented”.
No Thomas, it is not unprecedented.
It happened similarly decades ago and clean athletes were cheated out of medals.
The same will happen again if Russia is allowed to take part in Rio 2016.
The IOC is currently assessing its legal options before making an announcement on Russia’s Olympic future later in the week.
The time has come to take tough action.
If the IOC baulks at blacklisting Russia, the Rio Games will descend into farce with every Russian medal a dagger in the heart of international sport and those who wish to see and believe in clean competition.
There is no way that Russia’s appalling doping record should be rewarded with Olympic participation.
wardad
Guest
One East German shot putter was so full of testosterone that she ended up having to become a man .Take all East German medals away and ban the Russians.
ak
Roar Guru
One famous female tennis player I understand has been recently banned for drugs and nobody raised much issue about it. Some instead sympathised with her.
Brainstrust
Guest
I don;t think drugs can improve performance in the case of Bolt.,his upper body is weak looking if he took steroids he would put on extra kilos of upper body to weigh him down.. Bolts leg muscles already seem to be at a good size, I think he would slow down, of course if he played rugby, or NFL the extra strength would be a lot more useful. As far as Phelps, male swimming outside of endurance events , the use of drugs would be of questionable use. Its womens swimming where drug use will be a big advantage.. Detecting EPO is very difficult and its always going to result in an improvement in endurance events.
Brainstrust
Guest
There are heaps of Olympic sports where performance enhancement is of little or no use. I don't remember Russia winning that many medals in track and field, Why don;t we just ban NRL and AFL because they are two sports where drug usage is of benefit, and furthermore they had systematic doping in this country.
Daveski
Guest
Gotta say I'm with you a little David. Excited for the 7s and other team sports like hockey and basketball. But just not jacked up for traditional Aussie medal sports like swimming and cycling how I used to be. Maybe I'll come around in the next two weeks. Track and Field has really lost its gloss. I used to be able to name the top 5 or 6 in virtually every event, I could barely do that for the 100m now.
David C
Guest
Spot on article Glenn. For the first time in my life I don't really care about these Olympics. I'll watch the Men's and Women's Rugby Sevens with interest but for the rest, even swimming, naaahhh, don't think so. Which is a bit sad really.
HarryT
Guest
A good way of affirming suspicions of cheating is by looking at the 'progression profiles' of athletes in the IAAF website. In the period 2007-9 Bolt improved his PB by 0.45 sec for 100m, while Sally Pearson (same age) improved by 0.21 sec for the 100m hurdles. Bolt's times went from 10 plus to WR 9.58 in 2 years. Yeah, right.
delbeato
Roar Guru
That's how I watch pro cycling. It's only entertainment at the end of the day.. They're not all doing the right thing though, obviously!
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Don't tell me I have used it myriad times :-)
Ryan Ranger
Roar Rookie
On a lighter note if I may, you really do like the word "myriad" don't you Glenn?!
DaniE
Roar Guru
Aye. As much as I probably should be an Olympics cynic... I can't be. Bring it on. Days and nights of sport? I'm going to busy the kids with Disney DVDs and monopolise my own TV for myself for a change.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Spruce, you are correct. Armstrong did test positive & it was covered up. However, the likes of Jones did not despite being tested more than most. Sadly, with smart doctors & scientists the very best can evade detection which is why things like the BALCO inquiry & Operacion Puerto are vital in rooting out cheats. Also the freezing of samples & re-testing as has been done with Beijing & London is crucial.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
As an aside on your comment Glenn, if Michael Phelps ever dopes, the positive impact on his performance from doping will probably be neutralized by the negative impact of his alcohol problem!
delbeato
Roar Guru
2 things: 1. Armstrong did technically test positive twice from memory. But he passed more tests in one year than Bolt has probably had in his whole career (I have no proof of that, but cycling did get tough on testing - at least conducting the tests - and the Jamaicans have not). It proves that the tests can be beaten. Armstrong's failed tests were early on, before he became more 'professional' in his doping. 2. Froome is also tested rigorously. It's highly unlikely cover-ups still occur at his level of competition in cycling. This doesn't prove he's clean, but in a team sport where riders live in each other's pockets for much of the year, it's quite difficult to conceal doping from your peers. This was Armstrong's undoing - a lot of people knew he was doping and eventually spoke out. The same does not necessarily apply to Bolt, an individual athlete and part of a national squad that frankly has an atrocious track record on doping. One may even speculate that doping is part of the culture. While that's still the case in pro cycling too, Froome's team Sky have kept their noses clean - so far.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Spruce, both Armstrong & Jones were never banned as a result of failing a drug test. That is fact. I am merely responding to your commsnt that Bolt is tested more than most other athletes. Being tested ad nauseum clearly does not guarantee being clean. Armstrong was covered up while Jones always dodged a bullet. Like you though, I pray Bolt is clean, as I do with Chris Froome, Michael Phelps and all great athletes.
Anindya Dutta
Roar Guru
Well I am glad to see interest in the Olympics is finally picking up here. After weeks without much participation, we now have 3 articles including this one and mine on "Buying Olympic Golds..." with comments and discussion picking up nicely. Even as we debate about doping and citizenship swapping, mentally we are getting geared up for the big event!
spruce moose
Guest
Glenn, I'm sorry but that is wrong. Lance Armstrong it transpired, failed several tests. Lance Armstrong had a significant pot of money to go after and blackmail and threaten anyone - anyone - who dared say a word, and could make the tests disappear. Bolt simply does not have the same level of resources and finance to do that. Bolt inc. is quite honestly a fraction of Armstrong inc. Rumours and innuendo followed Armstrong for a long, long time. Journalists were openly digging deeper while he was still in his peak. No one has said anything of the sort with Bolt beyond regular levels of scepticism. If there ever comes a point where the scepticism gives way to on the record accusations (like Armstrong's case) to deafening suspicions, then I'll share your sentiments.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
Spruce, one of the defences that the likes of Lance Armstrong and Marion Jones used ad nauseum was the fact that they were tested more often than most athletes and hence they had to be clean. Unfortunately, there have been myriad cases of athletes who have been tested many, many times later being proven to have been cheats.
Glenn Mitchell
Expert
I would doubt that there would be enough time to sort through individual athletes case by case.
delbeato
Roar Guru
The reason that the Jamaican Anti-Doping Commission was not conducting doping tests could not be any simpler - the Jamaicans prioritise their athletes winning gold medals and don't want to get in their way by catching them cheating. I don't share your confidence in Bolt or any Jamaican athlete being clean. Quite the reverse.