A Voice for the Sport Do the Right Thing
It took awhile, but last January, when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stripped disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong of the bronze medal he’d been awarded at the 2000 Games in Sydney, it sent a powerful message to would-be dopers: “We’re coming after you!” The IOC action came after Armstrong wisely decided not to challenge the extraordinarily well-documented indictment against him drawn up by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, preferring to come clean in a televised interview with America’s Confessor-in-Chief, Oprah Winfrey. Though Armstrong captured all the headlines, he is by no means the only athlete under investigation by the usually staid IOC. After years of excusemaking punctuated with inaction, the IOC, a handful of national anti-doping agencies and some of the international sports federations are finally taking a stand in favor of clean sport. Swimming was impacted by doping more than most other sports, especially during the 1970s and ’80s, when East Germany’s doped “Wundermädchen” were invincible. After the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, many of the architects of East German swimming success migrated to China. In no time, the Chinese women emerged as the supreme world swimming power, reigning throughout the 1990s. During all that time, FINA abdicated its responsibility as guardian of swimming’s integrity, doing virtually nothing to keep our sport clean. But that appears to be changing. Under the leadership of IOC president Jacques Rogge, the Lords of the Rings appear to be taking seriously the quaint notion of a level playing field. In analyzing the cases where they have taken a stand against doping, one or more of the following five factors appears to have been decisive: 1. The athlete has confessed 2. WADA (or a national anti-doping agency) has declared the athlete guilty 3. A court has found the athlete guilty 4. The coaches or administrators of a doping program have confessed 5. Scientific records have been discovered detailing the athlete’s doping program. The number of swimmers who have been cheated out of the medals they rightfully earned is staggering. Log on to SwimmingWorldMagazine.com for a summary of the women swimmers who were victims of the East German doping machine at the 1976, ’80 and ’88 Games. In 1976 alone, some 32 women were cheated out of 48 Olympic medals. Shirley Babashof was the biggest victim. The record books show she earned one gold, one silver and three bronze medals. She actually won five gold medals and one bronze— the greatest Olympic performance ever by a female swimmer. Other victims include Canada’s Nancy Garapick and Holland’s Enith Brigitha. What has been done can never fully be undone. But the IOC can take a giant step in the right direction by awarding appropriate medals to all those who had their moment of glory stolen—beginning with the victims of 1976. At the same time, we believe it would be wrong to demand that the East German swimmers return their medals. They were barely teenagers in the mid-’70s— victims of an evil political system run amuck. The IOC may need some encouragement. That is the job of FINA and national governing bodies, including the USOC and USA Swimming. Some may argue that too many years have passed to take such action. We disagree. It is never too late to do the right thing. Justice postponed is still justice. v
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Phillip Whitten Editor-in-Chief Chief Media Officer Swimming World Magazine 1992-2006 8
April.indd 8
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April 2013
3/26/13 3:45 PM