The Glory of Sport

Time for a real good smack around the head posting. This time, it's nothing against Sweden. It concerns a New Zealand athlete competing at the winter olympics. Now, NZ is a small country. Just 4 million hardy souls living there. And not really known for prowess in winter sports. Funding is an issue, as there's not a lot of it to go around. Standards for selection are pretty high, as a result. So I was dead chuffed to see that about a dozen or so athletes had made it to the Olympics. With that will come television coverage, and with that will come an increased interest in the various events, leading hopefully to higher performance levels. The trickle down effect. Following the 2008 summer Olympics, a NZ female marathon runner was found to have tested positive for performance enhancing drugs. She was immediately condemned and dumped by pretty much the entire country. And rightly so, in my opinion. There can never, ever, be an excuse. Not when a country has just paid for all your costs, and deprived someone else of attending. Now we have the winter olympics. And what happens ? Two days before his first event, a NZ skier, PAID FOR BY THE PEOPLE OF NZ TO ATTEND, is removed from the starting list. Because of "abnormal blood cell readings". The official word out of the NZ camp (and this is what REALLY pissed me off) was that the reading was a result of the athlete training at altitude prior to the games. And that's why his reading was the same as the reading for those who had taken performance enhancing drugs. Choosing to not start in the event meant that he avoided any official drug testing requirements. Ben Koons ! How frickin stupid do you think we are ??? Do you really expect us to believe that you deliberately went out and undertook an activity that would give the same effect, and result, as taking a performance enhancing drug ? Pull the other one. You're a bloody cheat. And I want my money back from you. Why do you think, Ben, (assuming wildly that you are perhaps telling the truth) that no other athlete was up there training with you on the top of Mount Everest ? Because they know it's cheating, you twat !!! Changing the composition of your blood is banned ! That's why they don't allow the drugs !! Sheesh, someone must have been dropped on their head as a baby. The story of the illustrious Ben Koons is not done with yet. A week after being removed from the 15km event, he starts out in the 30km event. Leads the race for the first 3 metres. Is 3oth about about 50 metres, last place shortly after, and finally lapped and disqualified after 5km. But you have to admire the eternal optimism here. The official reaction to a justly deserved arse kicking is: "we're confident of a top performance in the 50km event" Ben, buddy, HELLO !!!! You dropped out after 5km of a 30km race. What do you think it going to happen in a race nearly twice as long ? Give me strength here. Ben, you're a national disgrace, and you should probably stay in Aspen. Or where ever you're hiding out these days. We don't want you back. Unless it's to repay the money we've all spent on your holiday.