152 February 2013 www.bahrainthismonth.com much focus on sports that people feel they need to take enhancers in the first place. The issue is not really about drugs, but self respect. When I was young I was told to look up to my elders; police, politicians, priests, bankers, professional sportspersons and even celebrities. All of that trust has dissipated over 40 years. Lance Armstrong, the once all-famed cyclist now joins the ranks of Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, Pete Rose, Tiger Woods, Roger Clemens, Sammy Sosa, Ben Johnson and hundreds of other non-sporting folk such as Bill Clinton and Arnold Schwarzenegger as well as just about everyone who have proven themselves fallible, criminal or dishonest. Teach children that these issues are out there and that life is not always fair and that few people deserve your admiration. This does not mean I am telling them they can use enhancers themselves, or that it is right or fair. Whether it be an English chef like Antony Worral Thompson shoplifting or a drugs cheat in sport, a philandering politician or wayward clergy, most eventually spout their “I’m sorry” to the world followed by a carefully orchestrated admission of childhood unhappiness or abuse of some type. Cheating, corruption, unfaithfulness are probably here to stay but we can reduce the instances of it by making certain our children are raised properly, with proper guidance, love, support and understanding of parents. Teach kids that sport is for fun and don’t pressure them to win or prove themselves the best. Nature will take care of that. The sporting ‘boil’ may have been ‘lanced’ by Armstrong but the true infection spreading the world can only be cured from our hearts. In a perfect world, Lance Armstrong would have won and been known for his efforts of his own human power. But I’m no athlete and neither, by the obese nature of the planet, are a good portion of us. Even with performance enhancers, how many of us would have the ability to struggle over the countless miles of road surfaces that Armstrong did? Drugs or no drugs, those legs, arms and mind still performed — enhanced or otherwise. Most of us struggle walking half a block to our parked cars! The sporting world may think it is above dope cheats. The fact is that the need for it to exist is the same as everything else. Would any of us have ever heard of or shown interest in the Tour de France had Armstrong not become super human? Sport today is about advertising, marketing, branding and ratings. As with much on earth today it is about money, not conscience. Do you want to remove drugs from sport? Then remove the drug of money. Superman was enhanced, Spiderman was created by a spider bite, the Incredible Hulk was a result of gamma radiation. Even Popeye took an enhancer — spinach! We love them; so when it occurs in reality why are we turned off and angry? My issue with the whole scenario is that the world places so JAMES CLAIRE A boil is a deep infection, which eventually needs to be lanced. It seems the sport of cycling has such an infection and it has been opened up. lastword Lancing the Boil
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy Mjk0MTkxMQ==