Hypocrisy wins

Joshua

From an article at Oliver Kamm's favourite website: "She has now appealed against her Olympic ban. She also stated that she will leave Britain and compete in the Olympics for another country, probably her parents homeland of Nigeria, if her appeal is unsuccessful."

David

Er, just as a point-the ruling banning her from competition for a year made it clear she was clean.

Philip Davies

Your article totally omits the important fact that Christine Ohuruogu has already served a 12 month ban for the offence she comitted. Under the rules, athletes have to inform the drug-testing authorities where they will be for one hour, five days out of seven each week. Three missed tests constitutes a suspension. Hardly an "appointment".

HJ

If you are going to call someone a cheat, perhaps you'd like to provide some evidence?

There is not, and has never been, any evidence to support the assertion that Christine Ohuruogu has ever cheated, by taking drugs or otherwise. Everybody who knows about this case, and the authorities, accept this.

She was guilty of failing to comply sufficiently well (she did pass many drug tests during the period concerned) with revised drug testing procedures - and was punished accordingly, as the authorities were obliged to do, contrary to your assertion that she wasn't banned. It is accepted that the revised testing procedures contributed towards many athletes missing tests. The procedures required that athletes predicted their locations for an hour each day, five days a week, three months ahead. The actual tests could then happen at any of these times, at random. There were never any test appointments.

Pity that making unsupported assertions and not bothering to check your facts doesn't disqualify Stephen Pollard from being paid to write things on the Spectator web site. Hypocrite.

HJ

I see that Stephen Pollard in his update hasn't the grace to withdraw his assertion that Christine Ohurougu is a cheat or that she missed testing 'appointments', even though he admits he has no idea whether or not she ever took drugs. He just asserts instead that she should be banned for life regardless.

If Pollard just did a little research and took the trouble to equate himself with the facts he would know that it is absolutely clear that she did not take drugs and that the authorities accept this. Of course, he is certain that nobody knows whether or not she took drugs, because of the missed tests. This is not so and the authorities have said so clearly. Either Pollard knows something the rest of us don't or he is sloppy journalist.

She was certainly scatterbrained but the revised procedures certainly played their part - as is demonstrated by the news today that over 100 other athletes missed two tests in the year following the new procedures.

One can only presume that the rest of Pollard's work is just as sloppy, based on the evidence of this piece. Because of this, I think he should be banned for life from this line of work.

Christine Ohurougu, however has worked considerably harder than Pollard can even imagine ( I compete in a sport and know pretty much what is required to compete at a high level - something few non-athletes can even conceive) and, unlike him, has achieved something worthwhile. Many congratulations to this honest and determined athlete.

Hj

I should add that the IOC - again contrary to Pollard's assertion - doesn't insist that anyone who infringes rules on drugs testing is banned for life.

For a start, the rules she infringed were the BOC's (not the same as the IOC's) and it is the BOC who has currently banned her. It remains to be seen whether this will be reversed.

Philip Davies

Stephen, there is no such IOC rule on banning for life anyone who has committed a doping offence. This though, is the rule of the British Olympic Association (BOA not BOC) There is already a precident here as a Triathlete Tim Don and Judo competitor Peter Cousins, both of whom had missed three tests like Ohuruogu, have had their BOA Olympic life bans lifted on appeal. She might have missed three tests in an 18 month period, but she tested negative in all the other tests she took in this period.

HJ

As Pollard has got his facts wrong, and just about every assertion he has made is wrong, the question is whether he will apologise. Let's see whether he has the grace.

A question for Pollard: If a footballer (perhaps one playing for his favourite team) is proved on TV to have cheated (perhaps by diving) does he support a life ban on this player playing again? If not, why not? He advocates a life ban on Ohurougu, who, it is clear, did not cheat (as the authorities have clearly stated), so why should footballing cheats have a lesser (or no) penalty?

Or is Pollard a hypocrite?

Lee Jakeman

Stephen is right. No-one is above the rules.

HJ

Lee,

Nobody said she was above the rules (except Pollard). She infringed the rules and has been punished with a ban, contrary to Pollard's assertion.

An infringement, however, does not make her a cheat.

David

"I do not accuse her of taking drugs. I have no idea. Indeed, no one does" Except for the committee who banned her, clearly, since they stated plainly she was not taking drugs. She also continued to submit to testing throughout her ban.

Ross

There is no evidence at all that she is a cheat. The nature of the testing regime means that occasionally innocent athletes will be caught out and miss tests, that should not merit a life time ban.

HJ

Quite right David.

The Court of Arbitration (an international independent body) said:
"there is no suggestion that she is guilty of taking drugs... and, indeed, this case can be viewed in all the circumstances as a busy young athlete being forgetful"

Her offence was purely a procedural one and she was given a heavy penalty for it, even though it was accepted that she did it accidentally.

Pollard's point about footballers cheating is entirely hypocritical. Many footballers have been shown to have cheated on the pitch and you don't hear Pollard screaming for a lifetime ban. CO didn't cheat and was never even accused of cheating.

Matt

With all due respect, Mr Pollard - which is not very much. You are talking out of your arse.

HJ

Talking out of his arse is what Pollard does best - in fact it's almost the only thing he does.

Can you imagine being one of the people who paid good money for his execrable biography of David Blunkett, the failed politician. You would feel really ripped off.

No good, of course, asking him once again why he brands Christine Ohurougu a cheat when the authorities (including the head of the IOC's medical commission) have clearly stated that she is not and that she did not deliberately miss any tests. They never even accused her of taking drugs or trying to avoid tests, so why is Pollard making up these accusations?

Bob Doney

Just say, "Sorry, I got it wrong", Stephen, and we can all move on - to attacking Steve McLaren or whatever other national pastime appeals.