The Olympics - what's the point?

[Donut]

20 top US athletes will be missing the Olympics because of drug sacandals, several GB athletes have failed tests and many from other nations. Now the suprise Olympic 200 metre champion has failed to attend for a test. I wonder what his excuse will be! Car crash or something!!

Kederis hardly ever competes - what is he hiding?

Kederis faces Olympic ban

Greece's 200m champion Kostas Kederis has been called to an International Olympics Committee hearing on Friday after he missed a mandatory drugs test.
Kederis, due to attend the test with women's Sydney 100m silver medallist Katerina Thanou, failed to appear.

The pair were given permission by the Greek committee to collect belongings from their homes and asked to take the test later in the evening.

A missed test could in theory result in the duo being suspended from the Games.

Istvan Gyulai, secretary-general of the International Association of Athletics Federations, said: "To our mind this doesn't constitute a refusal (which would result in a ban).

"According to our information, the Greek team leader was informed but not the athletes."

In response, Greek chef de mission Giannis Papadogiannaki said: "We will have to wait until tomorrow.

"It's positive that the two athletes were asked to appear before the disciplinary commission. The IOC has to examine whether there is intent or negligence."

Kederis, a shock winner of the 200m in Sydney four years ago, and Thanou were due to attend the test at 1930 local time.

Christos Tzekos, coach of the two athletes, said they were at their home at the time of the test.
Having missed it, they apparently asked to take a test later in the evening at the clinic in the Olympic Village rather than at the anti-doping laboratory in Athens.

The 31-year-old Kederis rarely runs outside Greece except in major championships.

Last year, the IAAF investigated a report that Kederis, Thanou and Tzekos were seen in Qatar after telling the Greek athletics federation (SEGAS) they were training in Crete.

Tzekos had earlier on Thursday confirmed his athlete was at the Olympic Village in Athens after stopping in Germany en route from training in the United States.

"Kostas is at the village," Tzekos said. "We stopped over in Germany to see his doctors and got back late on Wednesday.

Tzekos reported that Kederis was recovering from minor injuries.

"He has some minor niggles but nothing serious," Tzekos added. "There are always these last-minute issues."

Kederis has been tipped to light the Olympic cauldron at Friday's opening ceremony.

[Jorath Calar]

Well, maybe it will give honest hard working athletes some deserved attention and respect...

[Donut]

Originally posted by Jorath Calar: Well, maybe it will give honest hard working athletes some deserved attention and respect...

Yeah - both of them!!

[StigTC]

LOL Donut.

[Teri-sha Illistyn]

Drugs are just part of the reason the Olympics dont inerest me much.

Here are some others...

The term Olympics is copyrighted.. whats up with that... the Olympics have been around for centuries before copyrights were invented.

Everything about them ( and many other things ) are so commercialized that the spirit of the Olympics seemes drowned out.

Everybody is still panicing over terrorists attacks.

I myself dont feel any anticipation over the games anymore. If I wanna know who won what, I just type in 1 of many web addresses and I have it.

I could write more, but i think ive done enough bitching. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Jorath Calar]

Originally posted by Donut: quote: Originally posted by Jorath Calar: Well, maybe it will give honest hard working athletes some deserved attention and respect...

Yeah - both of them!! [/QUOTE][img]graemlins/1drinkspit.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/finger2.gif[/img] [img]smile.gif[/img]

[wellard]

The list of drug cheats found out in the last 6 months or so is amazing. Every country will have a couple outed every so often but the list of cheats from the USA is stunning. The people in charge of the USA Olympic / athletics organization should be sacked for incompetence.

I think (hope) once the games are underway the cheats will be forgotten and new stories of heroics will win us over to the spirit of the games again.

[wellard]

World anti-doping chief Dick Pound has launched a stinging attack on US athletics bosses over the recent doping scandals to hit the American team.
Pound said USA Track and Field must shoulder the blame for a string of positive tests and investigations.

"The leadership within USA Track and Field has been largely responsible for this problem getting as extensive as it has," he added.

"They are going to have to look very carefully at their own house."

Pound confirmed there would be a test for human growth hormone (HGH) at the Athens Olympics, which start on Friday.

He pledged doping controls would be tighter than ever before, with the number of tests increasing by 25% from the Sydney figures four years ago


http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/olym...04/3558000.stm

[Teri-sha Illistyn]

I also heard, its kinda old news now I bet, that the USA Baseball Team didnt even qualify. And as for basketball... the Dream Team is pretty much over with. Court trials and inflated egos have shut those 2 games down for us before the events even started.


Feeling a little bitter tonite...

[ 08-15-2004, 12:15 AM: Message edited by: Teri-sha Illistyn ]

[The Hierophant]

Originally posted by wellard: I think (hope) once the games are underway the cheats will be forgotten and new stories of heroics will win us over to the spirit of the games again.

You mean honouring the spirits of dead Greek war heroes and worshipping ancient pagan gods?