Doping on the Paralympic Games?

[marylander1940]

Doping on the Paralympic Games?

 

RIO DE JANEIRO – The International Paralympic Committee on Sunday banned Russia’s entire Paralympic team from competition in the upcoming Paralympic Games due to a state-sponsored performance enhancing drug ring. The Paralympics take place here in Rio just after the close of the Olympics.

 

And yes, you read that correctly: the Paralympic team. Not the Olympic team.

 

“The IPC governing board has resolved to suspend [Russia] with immediate effect,” IPC president Sir Philip Craven announced.

 

So an entire nation is banned from what should be a showcase for the most resilient, talented and inspirational among us. Athletes, regardless of nationality, deserve immense respect for finding a way to overcome the loss of limb or other physical limitation to compete globally in sport.

 

The Paralympics are the best, a reminder that around the globe there are people who are mentally, emotionally and physically tough. Yes it is naïve to believe there wasn’t doping in the Paralympics, but could naïve please still exist somewhere?

 

This is the final nail of proof – if one even were necessary – that the so-called Olympic Spirit and all that blather about humanity and goodwill and fair play is such garbage it should be floating in a Rio river for a kayaker to dodge.

 

https://www.yahoo.com/sports/news/the-olympic-spirit-doesnt-exist-just-ask-russias-paralympic-team-172446897.html

[Despardo]

I listened to a radio piece yesterday proposing that the Olympics be scrapped altogether. Doping is one reason. Another is the COST!!! Any city bidding to host the Olympics needs to be prepared to spend upwards of $50 billion. The majority of cities recently proposing to host the games have encountering huge and vocal resistance from their own residents--Boston, New York, etc. Only cities which have hosted the games in the recent past and still have the physical venues and infrastructure standing can afford to compete--Atlanta, Beijing, Vancouver, Sydney, Los Angeles, etc. Of these, it is unlikely that Atlanta or Los Angeles will get much local support from residents. Paris, which really wants the games, and Beijing are currently the leading contenders. The games make less and less economic sense each year as the hosts shell out huge amounts of money that they do not recoup. Security is another factor. As for the Olympics promoting international peace and understanding under the umbrella of non-political fair play and sportsmanship, well...Is there a person alive who really believes that? Bottom line is, like most everything else, it is all about the money.