Dopings and the Olympics

richsieb
richsieb Posts: 137
edited January 2013 in The cake stop
Couldn't help but see this article on the telegraph website today about Armstrong's doping scandal http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... oping.html

I don't know enough about it to know whether this "cover up" mention is likely or not, so what's the chances of something like the banning of Olympic cycling actually happening. It said they did it for weightlifting, but surely it would be a completely different situation with cycling as the revenue, the team funding and media associated with the sport etc. is a lot more than with weightlifting. Can the Olympic games afford to lose all the money on tickets and sponsorship if they were to ban cycling?

Just after some of your views.. :D

Comments

  • FocusZing
    FocusZing Posts: 4,373
    richsieb wrote:
    Couldn't help but see this article on the telegraph website today about Armstrong's doping scandal http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/others ... oping.html

    I don't know enough about it to know whether this "cover up" mention is likely or not, so what's the chances of something like the banning of Olympic cycling actually happening. It said they did it for weightlifting, but surely it would be a completely different situation with cycling as the revenue, the team funding and media associated with the sport etc. is a lot more than with weightlifting. Can the Olympic games afford to lose all the money on tickets and sponsorship if they were to ban cycling?

    Just after some of your views.. :D

    The hundred metres? Glass houses!
  • ben@31
    ben@31 Posts: 2,327
    richsieb wrote:
    Can the Olympic games afford to lose all the money on tickets and sponsorship if they were to ban cycling?

    I think the Olympic cycling road race was free for spectators?

    The guy who came first.... Vinokourov. Has been banned for doping before. Also in 2010 he bribed other competitors.
    "The Prince of Wales is now the King of France" - Calton Kirby
  • richsieb
    richsieb Posts: 137
    I think the Olympic cycling road race was free for spectators?

    But they would have made money through sponsorship, and with no event, people won't be watching/attending so there won't be any sponsorship, thus no money?
  • laurentian
    laurentian Posts: 2,505
    I believe any "banning" would be on the basis that the UCI were complicit in doping not on the fact that lots of cyclists doped. There have been shedloads of sprinters, weightlifters and other athletes found guilty of the same offence but their world governing bodies were not tolerating or "turning a blind eye" as is the suggestion with UCI.
    Wilier Izoard XP
  • pinno
    pinno Posts: 52,091
    There is an odd hypocrisy here. When this whole thing kicked off during the Festina affair in 1998, cycling was thrust into a really bad light vis a vis other sports. Then the testing got so silly (getting TdF cyclists out of bed at unearthly hours etc). However, I am right in saying that cyclists are the most tested athletes for doping ?
    This is where the Olympic Committee and the UCI differ. I think in the light of whats happening in cycling and has been for the past 15 years, the OC are paranoid about a similar drugs scandal hitting them. Could you see them going into China/Russia/Korea without warning and testing a whole load of athletes ? Could you see them testing for drugs on such a regular basis as the UCI ? Not on your nelly, better to sweep it under the carpet and cast cycling aside as the 'dirty' sport.
    seanoconn - gruagach craic!
  • Stick8267
    Stick8267 Posts: 154
    Outside of the actual Games testing is undertaken by the national organisations under the control of the International Federations (UCI in this case) with WADA defining the rules and, theoretically, governance, although they would struggle to control this if the IF chose to hide results etc. This means the IOC has no role in or control of what happens when the Games aren't on and WADA could have little knowledge of what happens at the IF level.

    So the IOC cannot go in to China or anywhere else.

    A sport can only enter the Olympics if it has a unified IF and is selected to be there by the IOC. Basically they are guests invited to compete. The IOC is going to be more than annoyed if the IF has collaborated to make them look stupid. Would you invite someone to your party that you discovered had been lying to you?

    If cycling gets removed from the Games it will be the fault of the UCI, not a response to one or more athletes' indiscretions, and a profound tragedy for the developing cyclists. The IF will have let down the entire sport they are supposed to represent.

    Assuming, of course, it's all true.
  • richsieb
    richsieb Posts: 137
    Cheers for the responses guys, interesting to see what you think as i know nothing of the matter :)

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