Yeah I'd agree with that Peter, you're right. There's more motivations than money here. Money just just makes it more worthwhile taking the risk to cheat, and more parties become involved when money is around. Not that I'm advocating taking money out of sport or anything!
There's lots of issues here. Money and professionalism can be seen as good things - back in the 'amateur' days, few people of poor means could actually take part in sport at a high level because they had to actually work for a living.
The only thing I'd say on that is, sure, money can lead to corruption, but cheating goes way way back in all sports (look at the second ever Tour de France in 1904), a long time before real megabucks were involved - so I think it goes beyond money to glory, to esteem and self-esteem, to ego and the need to win. I wonder if money was the main motivator for athletes doped under the East German regime...
Ofsted talking out their backsides, This cannot be possible, Tennis, skiing, ice skating, yachting, rowing, equestrian, squash. It goes on. Its world wide.
Cheats use effective masking agents to cover up traces of performance enhancing drugs and they are usually years ahead of the drug testers. It took 10 years after Armstrong's first Tour De France win to reveal he was a cheat. In 10 years time it will be revealed if high profile current elite athletes are clean or cheats.
Ofsted talking out their backsides, This cannot be possible, Tennis, skiing, ice skating, yachting, rowing, equestrian, squash. It goes on. Its world wide.
They must be a football fan.
So now you know better than both Ofsted and the British Olympic Association? I'll get the popcorn, while you rave and wibble.
It doesn't seem to occur to some of you that if Coe makes a statement in public, it's offering information in the same way as the police giving out the latest update on some case.
It's giving the game away.
Same as Cookson in cycling appearing to be a bit slack in dealing with Astana, while behind the scenes preparing a hatchet job on them.
Can't tell everyone what you know, for the same reason if you know, so does those under investigation, duh!
Ofsted talking out their backsides, This cannot be possible, Tennis, skiing, ice skating, yachting, rowing, equestrian, squash. It goes on. Its world wide.
They must be a football fan.
So now you know better than both Ofsted and the British Olympic Association? I'll get the popcorn, while you rave and wibble.
The point I was making you numpty is that how the heck is state schools supposed to introduce these facilities into children's life's. Unless you expect horse riding or yachting to be introduced into the national curriculum ?
I am not making claims I know better than Ofsted or the British Olympic Association (I don't know where you got that idea from )
If you feel as I do, then please sign this petition.
I'll sign that, not because I think he is unsuitable for the role due to his links with the previous IAAF president and his gushing praise for him, or his many years as vice president where he somehow missed all of this, or his continued relationship with Nike which surely is a massive conflict of interests, or his stance against the very journalists who actually started uncovering all this, declaring it a war on his sport (etc etc), but because I am jealous as he has more money than me.
My position is affected solely in that I feel disillusioned about the integrity of a sport of which I am a fan and I want to express support for clean athletes who were treated unfairly. I, for one, find Coe's conduct in relation to this affair unacceptable. I, for one, find it hard to believe that he was wholly unaware and do not believe that he has, in view of his conduct and statements, sufficient integrity to represent, regulate and endorse sport as fair competition. The fact that this scandal has received so much attention surely does imply that many felt disillusioned and shocked at the extent of corruption. That their 'positions' were not directly affected does not undermine the validity of their disillusionment or shock. One need not be a competing athlete to express an opinion on this issue or to ask for accountability of regulators or prominent representatives.
Also, to be frank, I am expressing a political opinion. Sport, athletics included, should be above politics. This is one of the fundamental Olympic ideals. However, once institutional corruption by a regulating body undermines fair play between competitors by turning a blind eye to unfair advantage, then this becomes, sadly, a political issue. Furthermore, let us not forget that many sports receive public funding, which is laudable, and with this support comes, in my opinion, an element of accountability.
My actual position in life remains surely largely unaffected. I carry on running for fun. Yet, as a fan of athletics as a fair sport, I am now a cynic.
He is as crooked as plattini. He can't have been never 2 and not been involved in all the dodgy stuff. Even now he won't cut personal ties with Nike because he is taking that salary for work he does to assist Nike in his role at the IAAF.
Coe can ignore everyone with impunity. That's the benefit of not owing money to anyone, not being employed by anyone, not needing approval of third parties outside his own organisation (IAAF).
He doesn't have to satisfy the wishes of anyone else.
You (and anyone) can squeal all you like. You have no leverage on him. You are basically irrelevant.
He has what is called 'f**k you' money.
So long as he hasn't broken any law and he complies with the rules of the IAAF, he has no need to even acknowledge your existence. The media has no power of influence either. They are also irrelevant.
all you say may well be true RicF, and in the end it will all blow over as so many "scandals" do, only time will tell.
But I, for one, would be very surprised to see him remain as President of the IAAF and a paid up employee of Nike, sorry, on a retainer, in the near future. I think you underestimate the flak he may get from the press.
However the press have the attention span of a demented goldfish, so I may be wrong.
Personally speaking, it would look better if he dumped Nike. But this is only a matter of image. It's really only the cynics who cannot conceive Coe didn't force the Eugene vote on account of his Nike connections.
It does look like a conflict of interests until one realises the only ones he has to satisfy are the members of the IAAF.
The reality is, he had only the one vote which went 23 to 1 to Eugene. Gothenburg are pissed off since they had been told one thing and something else happened. That's not a crime in this situation.
It's a 'stand alone' outfit. (IAAF) It's their game. That was demonstrated when the Russians said they would appeal against the sanctions laid against them when that drug business hit the streets.
Appeal! who to?
The IAAF merely said the matter of whether the Russians can play at athletics is for the IAAF and the IAAF alone. This isn't a matter of politics and governments.
No government can force the IAAF to do anything. It has no leverage over them.
It's 'only' a matter of image if he hasn't either used the Nike connection in the wrong way or taken instruction in matters relating to running from that company in his roles within athletics. I'm sorry, but since he's been elected to clean the stables out, he should be totally above any sort of criticism. The Nike thing should have been dumped long ago - he surely doesn't need it financially, and it's now starting to rebound on him. It was an accident waiting to happen and shows poor judgement.
It will be like the Fifa fiasco. Eventually someone will turn queens evidence and then we will see who is dodgy.
I wonder how many payments Coe has received without a contractual explanation of what he did to earn it? (Like plattini did from blatter).
Coe will stick with Nike until the iaaf's own sponsors start asking questions and talk about removing their financial backing. Only then will a revolt happen that force Coe to choose brtween staying in his job so he can continue to hide his past indiscretions or whether he wants dirty money from Nike, money which will obviously dry up as soon as he loses his job.
Comments
Yeah I'd agree with that Peter, you're right. There's more motivations than money here. Money just just makes it more worthwhile taking the risk to cheat, and more parties become involved when money is around. Not that I'm advocating taking money out of sport or anything!
There's lots of issues here. Money and professionalism can be seen as good things - back in the 'amateur' days, few people of poor means could actually take part in sport at a high level because they had to actually work for a living.
Peter,
High-level sport tends to be skewed heavily towards privilege still, it hasn't changed quite as much as some would imply:
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/jun/20/ofsted-state-schools-must-improve-sports-students
What about the first Olympic Marathon?
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-1904-olympic-marathon-may-have-been-the-strangest-ever-14910747/?no-ist
Strychnine and getting a lift in a car? Mind you doping was not prohibited just considered 'being prepared!'
Ofsted talking out their backsides, This cannot be possible, Tennis, skiing, ice skating, yachting, rowing, equestrian, squash. It goes on. Its world wide.
They must be a football fan.
Cheats use effective masking agents to cover up traces of performance enhancing drugs and they are usually years ahead of the drug testers. It took 10 years after Armstrong's first Tour De France win to reveal he was a cheat. In 10 years time it will be revealed if high profile current elite athletes are clean or cheats.
So now you know better than both Ofsted and the British Olympic Association? I'll get the popcorn, while you rave and wibble.
For other, less bewildered people, here's the raw data.
Couldn't be bothered to type this statement out so I copied it.
The question is, how does Rooney know enough to know that Coe has been naive?
🙂
Coe is either very naive, or complicit. Either way, he shouldn't be in the job.
It doesn't seem to occur to some of you that if Coe makes a statement in public, it's offering information in the same way as the police giving out the latest update on some case.
It's giving the game away.
Same as Cookson in cycling appearing to be a bit slack in dealing with Astana, while behind the scenes preparing a hatchet job on them.
Can't tell everyone what you know, for the same reason if you know, so does those under investigation, duh!
🙂
Yeah....right...
https://www.change.org/p/international-association-of-athletics-federations-uk-ministry-for-department-for-culture-media-and-sport-of-the-uk-international-olympic-committee-lord-sebastian-coe-should-be-asked-to-resign-as-head-of-the-iaaf
If you feel as I do, then please sign this petition.
How do you feel, and why?
How does Coe's position affect your own?
Politics of envy. Lots of it around here.
🙂
I'll sign that, not because I think he is unsuitable for the role due to his links with the previous IAAF president and his gushing praise for him, or his many years as vice president where he somehow missed all of this, or his continued relationship with Nike which surely is a massive conflict of interests, or his stance against the very journalists who actually started uncovering all this, declaring it a war on his sport (etc etc), but because I am jealous as he has more money than me.
Hello RicF,
My position is affected solely in that I feel disillusioned about the integrity of a sport of which I am a fan and I want to express support for clean athletes who were treated unfairly. I, for one, find Coe's conduct in relation to this affair unacceptable. I, for one, find it hard to believe that he was wholly unaware and do not believe that he has, in view of his conduct and statements, sufficient integrity to represent, regulate and endorse sport as fair competition. The fact that this scandal has received so much attention surely does imply that many felt disillusioned and shocked at the extent of corruption. That their 'positions' were not directly affected does not undermine the validity of their disillusionment or shock. One need not be a competing athlete to express an opinion on this issue or to ask for accountability of regulators or prominent representatives.
Also, to be frank, I am expressing a political opinion. Sport, athletics included, should be above politics. This is one of the fundamental Olympic ideals. However, once institutional corruption by a regulating body undermines fair play between competitors by turning a blind eye to unfair advantage, then this becomes, sadly, a political issue. Furthermore, let us not forget that many sports receive public funding, which is laudable, and with this support comes, in my opinion, an element of accountability.
My actual position in life remains surely largely unaffected. I carry on running for fun. Yet, as a fan of athletics as a fair sport, I am now a cynic.
Best wishes
His judgement or his honesty? Surely he should know the rules?
Rules are for the little people, of course.
If it wasn't so damning it would be funny.
Coe can ignore everyone with impunity. That's the benefit of not owing money to anyone, not being employed by anyone, not needing approval of third parties outside his own organisation (IAAF).
He doesn't have to satisfy the wishes of anyone else.
You (and anyone) can squeal all you like. You have no leverage on him. You are basically irrelevant.
He has what is called 'f**k you' money.
So long as he hasn't broken any law and he complies with the rules of the IAAF, he has no need to even acknowledge your existence. The media has no power of influence either. They are also irrelevant.
You want to take him (Coe) down. How?
🙂
Interpol will take the dirty little fecker down.
Interpol!
He's got as much chance of being taken down by interflora!
🙂
But I, for one, would be very surprised to see him remain as President of the IAAF and a paid up employee of Nike, sorry, on a retainer, in the near future. I think you underestimate the flak he may get from the press.
However the press have the attention span of a demented goldfish, so I may be wrong.
Personally speaking, it would look better if he dumped Nike. But this is only a matter of image. It's really only the cynics who cannot conceive Coe didn't force the Eugene vote on account of his Nike connections.
It does look like a conflict of interests until one realises the only ones he has to satisfy are the members of the IAAF.
The reality is, he had only the one vote which went 23 to 1 to Eugene. Gothenburg are pissed off since they had been told one thing and something else happened. That's not a crime in this situation.
It's a 'stand alone' outfit. (IAAF) It's their game. That was demonstrated when the Russians said they would appeal against the sanctions laid against them when that drug business hit the streets.
Appeal! who to?
The IAAF merely said the matter of whether the Russians can play at athletics is for the IAAF and the IAAF alone. This isn't a matter of politics and governments.
No government can force the IAAF to do anything. It has no leverage over them.
🙂
I think they should jail the little shit and give the job to Ovett.
I do prefer Ovett.
Everytime.
I also think Gary Lineker should be head of FIFA.
I do.
🙂
It's 'only' a matter of image if he hasn't either used the Nike connection in the wrong way or taken instruction in matters relating to running from that company in his roles within athletics. I'm sorry, but since he's been elected to clean the stables out, he should be totally above any sort of criticism. The Nike thing should have been dumped long ago - he surely doesn't need it financially, and it's now starting to rebound on him. It was an accident waiting to happen and shows poor judgement.
I wonder how many payments Coe has received without a contractual explanation of what he did to earn it? (Like plattini did from blatter).
Coe will stick with Nike until the iaaf's own sponsors start asking questions and talk about removing their financial backing. Only then will a revolt happen that force Coe to choose brtween staying in his job so he can continue to hide his past indiscretions or whether he wants dirty money from Nike, money which will obviously dry up as soon as he loses his job.