We are just days away from the start of the 2016 Olympic
Games and it is time we switch our attention towards the athletes and their
sporting performances. The past few weeks have been disheartening to watch as
the Russian doping scandal has continued to unravel, news of athletes
withdrawing due to the Zika virus has trickled on and other horror stories do
not stop coming from Rio such high profile abductions as well as the continued
high crime rate.
Ahead of every Olympic Games the media pump out the negative
stories. Thankfully in the past this has been swept away on the bang of the starters
gun with the attention dramatically switching to the sport and the positive
stories surrounding the Games. I have a bad feeling it might take a few days
for the momentum to build and take us away from the negative cloud that has
been hanging over Rio De Janeiro.
The news of individual governing bodies banning Russian
athletes in the light of the McClaren report have been trickling in. Modern
Pentathlon chose to remove two of the male Russian athletes including one
reserve due to the recent findings. It has become evident though that the IOC
have handled this whole situation with a serious lack of forward planning and
thought for those innocent athletes involved. The setting up of a new three
person panel to override the International Federations decision’s just days
ahead of the opening ceremony is the icing on this distasteful cake. I can not
for one minute imagine arriving in Rio as an athlete preparing to represent
your Country in the largest competition of your whole sporting career to only then
be told to pack your bags and head home. I have experienced de-selection
shortly before boarding a flight and it was heart braking, I can not comprehend
the effects of these IOC decisions.
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