Should Usain Bolt Have To Give His Gold Medal Back?

[vortex]

Why not just punish the offender and not the whole team?

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/38744846

[ummmm]

No doubt they would have won anyway but he took a banned substance. These athletes know what are banned and if they need to take something for medical reasons then it should be disclosed along with a medical reason from a doctor.

[murraymints]

good post ummmm :o)

[Bazile]

I assume that the teams that came second third and fourth will now be promoted .

However , i doubt that they will be happy when they know ( i've seen the
film ) that the result would probably have been the same with this guy's taking the banned substance .

Besides , the moment has been lost

[vortex]

Bazile, yes.

There's no 'probably' about it! ;-)

[Bazile]

//( i've seen the film ) //

That should have said -

-i haven't seen the film -

[vortex]

When all is said and done it's another black day in Olympic history.

[murraymints]

agree

[Garaman]

Very sad for Bolt, but right decision I think. We probably wouldn't even be discussing it were Bolt not one of the four.

Btw, murraymints, Lance Armstrong was apparently one of the most tested athletes when he was doping.

[murraymints]

Garman..good point...but it was "ok for him as they were all doing it " ! lol

[Cloverjo]

It's a shame for Bolt, but his reputation and legacy remain untarnished.

[jno]

I don't think it's that terrible for the Olympics: they did catch the guy, even if it was rather late, and justice has been done. Athletes just have to guard their glasses of beer if they don't want evildoers spiking them. It's part of the price of competing.

[vortex]

Cloverjo - he will, to some, be remembered for being part of a team that was disgraced arising from the relay race in Beijing.

Some would think it is a team event and the team, which he was part of, cheated to win a gold medal.

[murraymints]

no I think he will be remembered for his spectacular carreer and not the wrong doings of someone else

[murraymints]

career

[vortex]

I did say 'some' Minty :-)

Not everyone is a fan of Bolt.

[jno]

I don't think so, vortex; people may count team medals but I'm not sure they remember them. I saw Bolt win a gold in London and it was fabulous; but I have no idea what relays he's won.

In part some of this should be down to peer group pressure: team mates should discourage each other from taking stuff, knowing it will ruin the chances of all of them.

[vulcan42]

Doesn't every country send an Olympic team? If this was a logical punishment then why don't they ban the country?

[Cloverjo]

I was just going to say that I was in London to see the Jamaican team win the 4x100 relay in 2012, and it was incredible.

I thought I'd check to see if Nesta Carter was in that team as well as the one we're talking about here. Disappointed to see that he was. I hope he wasn't doping then too.

[douglas9401]

I agree jno, just like footballers do at the minute when it comes to diving.

Fair play all round.

[jno]

I suppose he was checked out then, Cloverjo, though I don't know what the protocols were at the time. It does seem a lot of the Russians were doping, but fortunately I didn't see any of them competing.