The Olympic Games - Drug fest?

[CFC1]

Being fairly sporty when I was younger (and an average club athlete) I used to love the festival that was the Olympics. Coe v Ovett ... Jesse Owens, Fanny Blankers-Coen ... But for the last 15 or so years, the spectre of drug taking ...CHEATING... has reduced my appetite and interest for the games to zero. I am no longer bothered about the "fastest man on the planet" 100 metres or the "blue riband" 1500 metres, because every athlete I look at, I am now presuming them to be on drugs.

Am I alone in this? .....

[Ian J]

Originally Posted by CFC1

Am I alone in this? .....

No you're not. I lost interest in sprinting and athletics in general when I realised that gold medals and world records belonged to those with the best pharmacist

[miceri]

Feel exactly the same about cycling.

Used to train and race alot when younger. Disgusted with the latest events, don't even have a road bike now :-(

[hdsport]

Originally Posted by miceri

Feel exactly the same about cycling.

Used to train and race alot when younger. Disgusted with the latest events, don't even have a road bike now :-(

At least they have comprehensive testing...golf is only just about to start testing.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2...26/2255698.htm

Chelsea (and I assume other clubs) have used (legal but morally questionable) blood spinning.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...wsstory.sport9

Football was one of the last Olympic sports to sign up to the WADA code before the last Olympics.

They have recently re-signed and WADA have buckled and changed their code and there will not be compulsory 2 year bans.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/foot...pe/7427267.stm

Just some food for thought before people (especially in certain media outlets) get on their high horse about athletics etc...

[CFC1]

Bolt breaks 100m world record!

[Lateralus]

this thread reminds me of a lee evans joke.

"like the err.... olympic games!!! everyones cheating.......sod it lets get rid of the olympic games. lets just have the anabloic games. that way it wont be called triple jump, it'll be, hop, skip and a.......where the **** he go? or the pills discus?"

oh funny stuff, but yeh on a more serious note, it is getting pretty ridiculous youre rite.

[sniffer66]

Muppets !!

http://www.thedailymash.co.uk/sport/...-200807231115/

[LFC_SL]

Were some Danish sailer, rowers or somebody or other not banned from the Olympics last week? So someone was caught before the thing has even started!

Like most casual athletics fan I was only interested in the men's 100m final but even now I really could not care. Football, tennis and rugby, and even cricket rank above athletics for me

[alexs2]

The problem as IanJ has already said is that the problem lies with those who are willing to cheat having access to ever craftier pharmacology.

We've been through the steroid era,and have since seen blood doping and use of drugs such as Epo to raise an athlete's blood oxygen carrying capacity,and now once again we find people using caffeine,which was previously banned.

As long as there are people willing to risk their careers for this,there will be a market for it.

Keeping one step ahead of the cheaters gets more and more difficult.

[Miyazaki]

Originally Posted by LFC_SL

Were some Danish sailer, rowers or somebody or other not banned from the Olympics last week? So someone was caught before the thing has even started!

Like most casual athletics fan I was only interested in the men's 100m final but even now I really could not care. Football, tennis and rugby, and even cricket rank above athletics for me

If I didn't have $ky hd I wouldn't be interested.

As it is i'm just looking to see the likes of carolina kluft in HD

[smashed]

Exactly.
However, its always been the same right back as far as the ancient games when they took various supplements.
The guy who won the 1908 marathon enjoyed alcohol during the race...which is illegal in most sports..
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british...llery_01.shtml

Russians used to have a catheter shoved up their privates to put their coaches "clean" urine into their bladder, so that they would pass a test.

Another idiot took steroids, but came off them with a while to go so that he would be clean for the event. However, he was also into blood doping, so was storing his blood in his freezer. As the olympics came up, he reinjected his blood to give him better endurance. Unfortunately for him, his old blood had the steroids , so he got caught on both accounts.
But if you are not stupid, you wont get caught.

Other sports are just as bad I agree, but the difference with athletics is that its mostly a test of physical performance (bar mental strength to perform on the day). Other sports such as football are a lot more related to skill, and not just pure physical conditioning.

[The Dude]

Always amusing when people refer to the ones who get caught as the cheats...


If it makes anybody feel any better about the upcoming olympics, just imagine how much easier it was to cheat back in the 'good old days'.

[CFC1]

Originally Posted by The Dude

...back in the 'good old days'.

[Artie Fufkin]

I reckon they should just allow drugs in sport for everyone . Sure, the ones with money behind them might end up with better drugs, but the ones with money have better equipment, facilities and coaches anyway.

[alexs2]

Originally Posted by Artie Fufkin

I reckon they should just allow drugs in sport for everyone . Sure, the ones with money behind them might end up with better drugs, but the ones with money have better equipment, facilities and coaches anyway.

I'm sure that's said jokingly,or at least would hope so.

The effects of many performance enhancing drugs even in the short term,can be severe,and the long terms effects of steroids etc are well known.