Sport and drugs – a slight and unhappy update
On the Rust – taking the view as we do that the sanctity of a “level playing field” is absolute when it comes to sporting contests – we maintain a clear and unforgiving attitude towards the use of performance-enhancing drugs in sport in order to cheat and therefore gain victory, whether this be by an individual athlete activing in isolation or via systematic orchestration of any kind including by governments and/or political power blocks.
Nevertheless, even as we approach the end of 2020, a year most of us would earnestly like to forget and/or put behind us, there have been two glaring recent examples of how political power and convenient expediency can prevail over notions of principle and fairness to the majority of sportsmen and women who simply want to enjoy elite sport and the thrill of competition to the greatest extent of which they are capable.
I refer firstly, of course, to the astonishing decision of a Swiss federal court which has suddenly overturned the eight-year ban imposed upon the Chinese swimmer Sun Tang, 29, a six-time Olympic medallist for failing to cooperate with three anti-doping officials who had travelled to his home in order to collect blood and urine samples.
WADA duly brought a complaint against Sun in November 2019 at the Court of Arbitration for Sport – this after swimming’s governing body had declined to penalise Sun for his behaviour – which resulted in him receiving the ban, which by its duration effectively ended his career.
Sun then mounted an appeal against the verdict in an attempt to regain his eligibility for international competition.
The decision of the Swiss court to overturn the ban was not based upon any hearing of evidence (or lack thereof) as regards Sun’s alleged transgression(s) or the rules, but upon the supposedly racist – anti-Chinese – sentiments expressed by Franco Frattini, Chairman of the three-person Court of Arbitration for Sport panel.
The remarks complained of (made in a quite separate situation and timeframe) were not about Sun or indeed Chinese athletes, but about the extent of systematic animal cruelty in China.
Now, as a result of the Swiss court’s decision, WADA will have to begin its ‘prosecution’ of the case again Sun Yang all over again.
When it comes to sport, folks – you couldn’t make it up!
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (or “CAS) is also involved in my second example today, but this time not in a good way.
It is generally accepted by the civilised world that – in an echo of the old Soviet block systematic doping of its athletes of the second half of the 20th Century – Russia has long been tainted by state-sponsored doping of its elite sports stars. Though this allegation is never seriously challenged (except by Russia itself which issues regular denials of any wrongdoing despite all compelling evidence to the contrary) – there is some disagreement and confusion as to the extent of Russia’s transgression of the rules on the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
On 19th December news broke that the CAS has banned Russia from using its name, flag and anthem at the next two Olympics and at any world championships over the next two years.
However, Russian athletes will be allowed to compete as neutral competitors if they can prove they can prove they are not implicated in drug-taking and/or the covering-up of drug-taking. As “neutral competitors”, qualifying Russian athletes will be permitted to have the name “Russia” printed on their uniforms provided the words “Neutral Athlete” or “Neutral Team” are given equal prominence.
On the face of it, this does smack of a governing/judgemental body finally standing up to a major country which has transgressed its rules.
But perhaps not when one is reminded that the recommendation of the investigating WADA officials was that Russia’s ban should be for a minimum of four years.
And what was the reasoning presented by Russia in support of its contention that a four year ban was excessive?
Basically, that individual athletes should not themselves be punished too heavily for any systematic administering of performance-enhancing drugs, or indeed switching of urine samples etc. carried out by others, in this case by officials of the Russian state – never officially admitted, of course, albeit implicitly “not contested” – through being denied the right to appear on the world stage in their chosen events.
[Perhaps you could make it up, after all …]
