Bronte Campbell: Why talking about doping is cleaning up the Games
Talking about doping in the Olympics doesn’t tarnish the name of the Games – the Games are already tarnished, and we’re doing something about it, writes Bronte Campbell.
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The Tokyo Olympics are 237 days away and amid the hype of medals and glory, the talk is also turning to doping.
Earlier this week, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) proposed banning Russia from international competition for the next four years over the noncompliance of the Russian Anti-Doping Agency.
If 2016 is anything to go by, this is just the start of a messy conversation we’re all about to have about doping.
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I’m sure it’s not the conversation most people want to have – the Olympics should be about inspiration, not iniquity.
We should be able to point to the Olympic ideals as motivation to strive and be better. Instead we’re talking about drugs.
But this is a vital conversation regardless.
Earlier this year my world championships teammate Mack Horton caused a raucous by refusing to share a podium with Chinese swimmer Sun Yang.
At the time Yang was yet to face a hearing for smashing vials of his blood, rather than supplying the sample to doping officers.
Since returning from the world championships, people have asked me what Mack hoped to achieve. How could his protest possibly change anything?
The fact that I’m getting asked the question at all is an answer in itself. No one outside of swimming has ever asked me about doping before. No one really knew, and no one really cared.
The term “starting a conversation” is thrown about to the point of cliche and it doesn’t always lead to results.
I’m not saying that talking about doping will change anything, but without talk nothing will happen. The attention and interest generated are not change in themselves, but they are catalysts.
And for the people whom the conversation affects, there’s a sense of validation.
Doping is not new to the Olympics. For years rumours and speculation have been passed between athletes in a depressing game of “have you heard”.
I always hated these stories, they left me with a sense of helplessness.
Whether it was true or not that a whole truckload of samples went missing was almost beside the point. The pervading sentiment was that we couldn’t do anything about it.
As unpleasant as the conversation is, it’s important to remember that it is merely shining a light on something sordid that already exists.
We shouldn’t fear tarnishing the Olympics – it was already corrupted, we are only beginning to examine the black spots. And it will take a lot of polishing to get the silverware shining again.
But we have begun.
Sun Yang’s hearing was conducted publicly earlier this month, unlike his 2016 doping ban which was issued and served before anyone found out about it. The findings are expected in the early 2020.
Meanwhile, WADA is expected to decide on a Russian ban on December 9.
As tedious as it is and as much as my heart sinks when I see another headline with the word doping, I’m also hopeful with each headline that we inch closer to real and lasting change.
The Olympics should be about inspiration and fairness, this messy conversation is part of keeping it that way.
Originally published as Bronte Campbell: Why talking about doping is cleaning up the Games