[Closed] Drop cycling from the Olympics ,are they for real?

remove sports with drugs and see what is left....

er....

sorry i can't actually think of any sport that doesn't have a drug issue. ..

has anyone been done for drugs in ski jumping yet?

eddie the eagle should have he was rubbish (not that i could do better)

I think Eddie was on performance enhancing ketamine.

Eddie was on drugs, what else apart from LSD could make him believe he could fly?.

Weirdly, Eddie the Eagle is still one of Britain's best known sportsmen in Belgium, where he is still regarded as something of a legend!

He's probably the best known british winter olympian amongst the general british population

...because of course nobody has heard of Jayne Torvill or Christopher Dean

Aaargh you made me look at another A....rong thing.

[url= http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/15/us-cycling-armstrong-olympics-idUSBRE90E0ZU20130115 ]http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/15/us-cycling-armstrong-olympics-idUSBRE90E0ZU20130115[/url]

Pound has an axe to grind withe the UCI. Yawn..

Sounds like a strategy by someone who doesn't like Team GB winning!

More likely, it's a strategy for applying pressure to UCI and bringing them down - no way the national teams will allow cycling to be removed from Olympics because IOC have no faith in UCI's ability to police doping.

Why not drop the IOC due to having some corrupt officials as well.

My Finnish friend says Eddie the Eagle is also are hero in Finland.

If it gets rid of the current UCI cronies ban away. Who cares about trackncycling anyhoo.

I think that if you looked a bit more closely at what Eddie the Eagle did and at what age he decided to try jumping and how fast he progressed to the big jumps, plus his training facilities (he built a wooden harness in his back garden to practice assuming the flight position), and the problems with his eyesight and googles misting up meaning that he would launch without being able to see properly, then people might decide it might be better to stop taking the piss and actually be somewhat in awe of what he did.

Considering how much I mince around when looking down something slighly downhill and rocky, I wonder what my thoughts would be when coming up to the edge of this:

[img] http://t2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTsgy4Yeto6Csc3pDCi-EelDHmVduZhNp3P2ILC-zNjd2iObvdR [/img]

He may have been uncompetitive, but he had an applaudable amount of bottle.

and he can dive with aplomb

...because of course nobody has heard of Jayne Torvill or Christopher Dean

Or Chemmy Alcott, Amy Williams, Martin and Graham Bell, Konrad Bartelski or Emma Carrick-Anderson for that matter...

If the governing body turns out to be completely complicit and unapologetic, what are the IOC (notwithstanding their own squeaky clean track record) going to do? "Oh, that's okay, come along anyway"

[url= http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2001/Russian-Ski-Jumper-Tests-Positive/id-8a77e6ec09116b3ec68fe88285e0e77e ]Doped ski jumper[/url]

I've stood at the top of a ski jump, I nearly shat my pants. Eddie the Eagle was actually a very very good alpine skiier, top ten in the uk, but not good enough to make it onto the tem, so decided to turn his hand to something new and made a very good job of it. Most skijumpers start at a very young age - 6 or 7 years old - so to start when eddie did was nothing short of amazing

thanks edukator,

So can anyone name an olympic sport without a drugs problem?

So can anyone name an olympic sport without a drugs problem?

It's the fact that the governing body appear to be complicit that has started this off.

Or Chemmy Alcott, Amy Williams, Martin and Graham Bell, Konrad Bartelski or Emma Carrick-Anderson for that matter...

I'm quite into winter sports and I've never heard of the last 2! I'd suggest that the original comment that Eddie the Eagle is our best known Winter Olympian.

In fairness to eddy, he wasn't the best in the world, but he was the best in Britain and I sure as Hell wouldn't fancy giving it a go! Maybe the Olympics should drop all specialist sport discipline and follow a super stars model. Each country sends 3 men and 3 women, who each day draw a sport from a hat and try to win. Wiggins for gold in archery and nicola Adams dominating in the kayak slalom?

so to start when eddie did was nothing short of amazing

There was an interview with him in the ski club magazine.

He decided to try ski jumping at a late age and then progressed from the small jumps to the big jumps in an unusually short time, a couple of years maybe.

He didn't start though until a late age, an age where you are very aware of fear, etc, unlike the Europeans who all started as kids when they have no fear (like those troops of 4 year olds you see snow ploughing past you as you mince down a narrow black).

I think they quoted Martin (or Graham) Bell who, when asked to sum up Eddie, just said "Balls of Steel".

So can anyone name an olympic sport without a drugs problem?

Archery? Curling? Trap Shooting?

Alain Baxter he won a medal before....oh yeah failed a drugs test for a dodgy nasal spray.

Never heard of Emma Carrick-Anderson? Not even in relation to being Crawfords sister (he is an MTBist by the way)?

[quote=njee20 ]>Konrad Bartelski or Emma Carrick-Anderson

I'm quite into winter sports and I've never heard of the last 2! I'd suggest that the original comment that Eddie the Eagle is our best known Winter Olympian.

Konrad Bartelski (who skiied for Belgium for a couple of seasons, fact fams) is Brtains's highest ever placed male skiier in the word cup, he finished second in the Val Gardena downhill. He collapsed as he skiied into the finish area as he was knackered, and migth well have won if fatigue hadn't cuased him to make a mistake on the camel bumps

Emma Carrick-Anderson's brother Crawford Carrick-Anderson is profoundly deaf yet still raced top class (world cup) downhill MTB for a few years and is invovled with the CRC team I think?

For several years in the early 2000s, he co-hosted a Sunday morning show with Trish Campbell on BBC Radio Gloucestershire

His finest hour. Well, 3 hours actually, if I remember correctly.

Konrad Bartelski (who skiied for Belgium for a couple of seasons, fact fams) is Brtains's highest ever placed male skiier in the word cup, he finished second in the Val Gardena downhill. He collapsed as he skiied into the finish area as he was knackered, and migth well have won if fatigue hadn't cuased him to make a mistake on the camel bumps

Emma Carrick-Anderson's brother Crawford Carrick-Anderson is profoundly deaf yet still raced top class (world cup) downhill MTB for a few years and is invovled with the CRC team I think?

This. Although I will concede that it's unlikely you've heard of the Bartelski if you are under 40 years of age.

Showing my age now, Bartelski was my hero when I was skiing, my mate also coached Emma Carrick-Anderson (but way after my time - I was cycling by then)), she was meant to have some real talent but as was common in pre-lottery funding it probably never got maximised, for what it's worth....

Archery?

curling... might be a goer, but i suspect being bent over with a brush isn't good for joints so can see a few openings there, bit of extra strength always helps...

I've stood at the top of a ski jump, I nearly shat my pants. Eddie the Eagle was actually a very very good alpine skiier, top ten in the uk, but not good enough to make it onto the tem, so decided to turn his hand to something new and made a very good job of it. Most skijumpers start at a very young age - 6 or 7 years old - so to start when eddie did was nothing short of amazing

mrmo - Member
So can anyone name an olympic sport without a drugs problem?

Synchro swimming ?

Synchro swimming ?

what is the ruling on diet pills? seem to be a few failed tests for similar and masking agents in other sports.

Never heard of Emma Carrick-Anderson? Not even in relation to being Crawfords sister (he is an MTBist by the way)?

I know all about Carrick, and assumed a relationship, but I'd wager a lot of money that your average man on the street will know more about Eddie the Eagle than someone who is the sister of a former mountain bike racer... Which was the statement you took issue with.

I'm quite into winter sports and I've never heard of the last 2! I'd suggest that the original comment that Eddie the Eagle is our best known Winter Olympian.

...apart from Torvill and Dean - I bet a lot more people have heard of them than Eddie. Which is the point missed by whoever added all those other names. I was already aware of Bartelski, but still have no idea about Emma Carrick-Anderson as I don't think anybody's actually bothered to mention what winter sport she did.

djflexure - Member

"So can anyone name an olympic sport without a drugs problem?"

Don't think thats the point.

It's the fact that the governing body appear to be complicit that has started this off.

Spot on, it's not about drug use. In how many other sports are the two top people in the governing body accused of assisting a cheat over such a long period?

They wouldn't drop cycling because they've got a drug cheat, it's because it's looking like the governing body was/is complicit This is not new; while the UCI were considering whether they would uphold USADA's sanctions on LA, one of the potential outcomes being talked about was that if they didn't, they would be kicked out of the IOC due to the USADA -> WADA -> IOC dependency.

apart from Torvill and Dean - I bet a lot more people have heard of them than Eddie. Which is the point missed by whoever added all those other names. I was already aware of Bartelski, but still have no idea about Emma Carrick-Anderson as I don't think anybody's actually bothered to mention what winter sport she did.

I saw it, I just reckon more people would know Eddie the Eagle. I wouldn't recognise a photo of Torvill and or Dean frankly.

Agree about Emma C-A though, still none the wiser.

feenster - Member
They wouldn't drop cycling because they've got a drug cheat

Yep, just classic STW misrepresentation.

It certainly would make sense to exclude sports from the olympics if their governing bodies has covered up doping scandals. Although in the case of cycling to exclude the track cyclists would seem very unfair. It would also be harsh on the new crop of cleaner road stars.

The cost to road cycling of a ban would be minimal compared to track cylcing

Don't think thats the point.

It's the fact that the governing body appear to be complicit that has started this off.

thing is most sports just claim they don't have a problem at all so aren't they complicent as well? Court of law, ignorance isn't a defence.

[i]then people might decide it might be better to stop taking the piss and actually be somewhat in awe of what he did.[/i]

This.
I've stood at the top of the 90mtr tower in the Calgary Olympic park where Eddie jumped. Two words crossed my mind as I looked down.

Holy
&
Shit.

mrmo - Member

"Don't think thats the point.

It's the fact that the governing body appear to be complicit that has started this off."

thing is most sports just claim they don't have a problem at all so aren't they complicent as well? Court of law, ignorance isn't a defence.

This isn't a court of law.

'Turning a blind eye' is wrong but the alleged level of collusion between a cheat and the UCI is pretty unprecedented and another level entirely. IMO.

This isn't a court of law.

it would end up in the courts very quickly, too much money is involved for it not to.

What would? The IOC has the power to decide which sports are included in The Games so I don't see what legal basis there would be for legal action.

sponsors pay the IOCs bills and the IOC isn't really in charge. Plenty of questions about corruption etc.

If they choose to block one sport it will be challenged, more likely they will brush it under the carpet as they always do.