The summer Olympics are almost here although a year late. As always, controversy rears its ugly head. Are we looking at an upcoming Festival or Fiasco?????
- The majority of Japanese people want to cancel the games due to the COVID 19 pandemic.
- So far over 100 athletes and officials have already tested positive for the virus since arriving in the host city. There will undoubtable be many more.
- Will the International Olympic Committee in all of their wisdom (sarcasm intended) weather the storm? Or ..............
- Is the city of Tokyo doomed and damned like a drunken beer league hockey goalie who forgot his headgear at home, facing down a Bobby Hull slapshot???
- The fastest man in the world in 2019, 100 meter sprinter Christian Coleman was barred from competition for a year even though he did not fail a drug test.
- Coleman did, however, miss 3 drug tests in one calendar year.
- It must have slipped his mind. After all, he's only human, although superhumanly fast!
Christian Coleman running away from the drug testers?
The second case involves some good old fashioned pork.
- Shelby Houlihan, American record holder in the women's 1500 meters, failed an out of competition drug test in December 2020.
- She was found to have trace amounts of Nandrolone, or Deca-Durabolin, in her system.
- Houlihan claimed that a beef burrito that she ate from a Mexican food truck the day before actually contained pig offal (ground organs) instead of beef. Supposedly this caused a spike in her natural hormonal levels.
- As implausible as this story sounds, there have been cases of false positives from tainted supplements, but usually not from fast food.
- Nandrolone is more helpful for power events, sprints or bodybuilding rather than middle distance running.
- It is the wrong steroid to take for an athlete subject to doping controls. Nandrolone is traceable in the subject's system for up to 18 months.
- Her excuse was rejected and she received a 4 year ban. That will also exclude her from the 2024 Olympics. Sadly, her running career is likely toast!
The third doping controversy also falls into the realm of strange and unusual.
- Sha'Carri Richardson rocketed to victory in the U.S. Olympic trials 100 meter sprint with flamboyant, flowing pink hair.
- A few days later it was announced that Richardson failed the post race drug test and would receive a month long ban. She had tested positive for cannabis. Her victory was erased thus disqualifying her from the Olympic 100 meters.
- Richardson claimed that she had ingested cannabis to deal with the grief of learning of the death of he biological Mother.
- Marijuana is legal in the state of Oregon where the trials too place but it is considered doping by many sport governing bodies.
- Cannabis is not a drug that would be performance enhancing except for maybe a cheeseburger eating contest or an air guitar competition. But as they say, rules are rules.
- For a few days there was some rumor that she might still be selected for the 4 by 100 meter relay. There was even a petition of over half a million signatures to "Let Sha'Carri Run'' but it now appears that she is officially off of the team.
It sometimes feels as though the innocent athletes who make mistakes get caught while the real cheaters evade detection. Then again, maybe I am just a disgruntled old jock.
In summary:
The Olympics are expensive.
The Olympics are expensive.
The Olympics are corrupt.
The Olympics are heartbreaking.
The Olympics can be exciting.
I'll probably crack open a can of spiked lemonade and watch anyways!
Now where did I put my beer league hockey goalie mask?
Until next time Keep Fit
Little Bobby Strong
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