International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Jacques Rogge called on Friday for tougher action next year against doping and illegal betting in sports.
Rogge also said the focus on political and social issues in China will increase in the leadup to the Beijing Olympics but the games would act as a "powerful catalyst."
Rogge said the many high-profile doping cases this year might lead people to believe that the sports world is losing the battle against drug cheats.
"I disagree," he said in a year-end message posted on the IOC's Web site. "The fact that so many instances of [unfair] play were revealed, and that more athletes admitted responsibility, tells us that we are on the right track."
Last week, the IOC officially stripped Marion Jones of her five medals from the 2000 Sydney Olympics following her admission in court in October that she had been doping.
Rogge also cited illegal betting as a threat to the credibility of sports.
"It must be fought in the same aggressive way in which we are fighting against doping," he said. "In 2008, zero tolerance for illegal betting and doping offenses has to reach out an even higher level. Fighting against these threats will help create a more level playing field for sport."
Rogge's statement came with eight months to go until the Beijing Olympics, which have attracted complaints about Chinese policy from human rights organizations, media advocacy bodies and other groups.
The IOC says it is a sports organization, not a political body, and is not in a position to change Chinese policies.
"The dialogue surrounding Beijing will likely increase in volume," Rogge said. "A remarkable amount of effort and dedication has been focused on an array of social and political issues in China."
"The IOC hopes that Beijing 2008 realizes its potential as a spectacular Olympic Games," he said. "We can be certain that the games alone are a powerful catalyst, even if to show that challenges often provide opportunities that can have profound potential."
SS Lazio on Monday fired the far-right sympathizer who handles their eagle mascot after he posted online a series of videos and pictures of his erect penis. Falconer Juan Bernabe, who has been present at Lazio home matches with Olimpia the eagle since the 2010-2011 season, posted the footage on social media after having surgery on Saturday to implant a penile prosthesis to improve his sexual performance. Lazio said that they had “terminated, with immediate effect” their relationship with Bernabe “due to the seriousness of his conduct,” adding that they were “shocked” by the images. The Serie A club added that Bernabe’s dismissal
Doping fears prevented former US Open champion Emma Raducanu from treating insect bites on the eve of the Australian Open, she said, with players increasingly wary about ingesting contaminated substances. The British player was speaking in the wake of high-profile doping cases involving Iga Swiatak and Jannik Sinner. “I would say all of us are probably quite sensitive to what we take on board, what we use,” the 22-year-old said, recalling an incident on Friday. “I got really badly bitten by, I don’t know what, like ants, mosquitoes, something. I’m allergic, I guess,” she added. The bites “flared up and swelled up really a
Dubbed a “motorway for cyclists” where avid amateurs can chase Tadej Pogacar up mountains teeming with the highest concentration of professional cyclists per square kilometer in the world, Spain’s Costa Blanca has forged a new reputation for itself in the past few years. Long known as the ideal summer destination for those in search of sun, sea and sand, the stretch of coast between Valencia and Alicante now has a winter vocation too. During the season break in December and January, the region experiences an invasion of cyclists. Star names such as three-time Tour de France winner Pogacar, Remco Evenepoel and Julian Alaphilippe
‘TOUGH TO BREATHE’: Tunisian three-time Grand Slam finalist Ons Jabeur suffered an asthma attack in her 7-5, 6-3 victory over Colombia’s Camila Osorio Taiwan’s Hsieh Su-wei yesterday cruised into the second round of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, while Iga Swiatek romped into a third-round women’s singles showdown with Emma Raducanu and Taylor Fritz was just as emphatic in his pursuit of a maiden Grand Slam title. Hsieh and Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia, the third seeds, defeated Slovakia’s Tereza Mihalikova and Olivia Nicholls of Britain 7-5, 6-2 in 90 minutes in Melbourne. Ostapenko and Hsieh — who won the women’s doubles and mixed doubles at the Australian Open last year — hit 25 winners and converted five of nine break points to set
RSS