...Sports news
What are Britain’s Chances of Beijing Gold Glory?
It was an anxious bunch of athletics supporters who watched the recent Olympic trials in Birmingham, eager to see who if anybody had the potential to compete in China in only a matter of weeks. Save for a couple of crowning moments, what the fans saw would have done little to dampen their fears that Great Britain will be heading to Beijing with one of the worst athletics teams in history.
Sorry to sound depressing, but it’s hard to get excited about the world’s most exciting sporting tournament when your home team is running lame. And if I sound harsh it’s only because I remember the Olympics of old, the British athletes of old, the incredible achievements, the excitement.
I will never forget the two weeks I spent in a Cornish holiday cottage back in 1984, the whole time glued to the television watching a truly awe-inspiring display of British athleticism.
For those who don’t remember it, a quick reminder: Daley Thompson was the star of the show that year, having retained his gold from 1980 and also achieving the best decathlon score of 8847 (which is, incidentally, still the UK record). Tessa Sanderson also rose to the occasion, achieving another gold and Olympic record with her very first throw. And most notably Sebastian Coe retained his 1500m title, beating close GB rivals Steve Cram and Steve Ovett to the finish line. It was a truly remarkable Olympic Games, full of entertainment, drama and best of all, medals!
Not that we haven’t scored an impressive tally since then, of course. Medal-wise, Great Britain has done consistently well throughout the games, but in recent years it has been noted that our achievements come not through athletics but other sports. As was seen in Athens, and will hopefully be replicated in Beijing in a few weeks, our British cyclists, swimmers, and sailors offer excellent chances of notching up some golds.
That said, it’s not all bad news for the GB team. Triple jump sensation Phillips Idowu showed his Olympian mettle at the trials by achieving the longest jump in the world on his first attempt, and claimed afterwards that no one could stop him. Idowu remains our track and field best hope for gold, and his impressive display of tremendous athleticism under immense pressure proves he has what it takes to go all the way. Next up is Christine Ohuruogu, the current 400m champion, whose Olympic future was placed in jeopardy after she missed three drug tests in a row. She will be running the 400m and 200m and looks in excellent shape for the forthcoming games.
Marathon runner Paula Radcliffe was also looking good until a stress fracture in her left thigh put yet another Olympic dream under threat. The 34-year-old is currently undergoing high-intensity training in France and has yet to make a formal statement about her intentions.
And then there is, of course, Dwain Chambers. At the time of going to press, the British Olympic Association were still awaiting a High Court ruling over whether or not to overrule an existing lifetime Olympic ban enforced after Chambers was found to be using performance-enhancing drugs.
People cannot decide whether or not it is right that Chambers should be allowed to compete in the Olympics again, but judging by his performance at the trials where he blew the competition away, it would be really hard not to add him to the team - if the High Court gives him the go ahead.
Thank god the Olympic Games aren’t all about athletics then, eh? We may not have the best in track and field, but this summer China and the world are going to see one of the best boxing groups ever as our medal winning sailors are back in full force, the cycling team are hopefully going to sweep the board with victories, and our swimmers and divers are set to make a huge splash.
In the meantime, Lord Sebastian Coe and his 2012 Olympic panel have a mere four years to work on our future Olympian athletes. Let’s hope they ensure that, come the London Games, Great Britain has athletes who are not just able to compete with the likes of China, Russia, and America, but can revive the glory days of the 1980s.
Probe into irregular tennis betting
The online company Betfair is at the centre of an investigation into irregular betting patterns involving more than 45 professional tennis matches over a five-year period.
A new Integrity Unit has been set up to tackle corruption in the sport, after uncovering abnormal betting patterns created by Betfair online account holders who allegedly had inside information.
The unit’s anti-corruption experts explained: “The initial assessment of those matches, supported by other intelligence, indicates a number of account holders are successfully laying higher ranked players to lose, backing lesser ranked players to win.”
Whilst the allegations against the sport are extremely serious, the unit has stressed that the problem is not widespread.
“We’re confident of our principle assessment that professional tennis is not institutionally or systematically corrupt,” the panel wrote, continuing that the vast amounts of money involved had proved too tempting to a small group of players who were “vulnerable to corrupt approaches”.
It was last August when the controversy over suspicious betting first hit the headlines, following allegations of rigging after the match between Nikolay Davydenko and Martin Vassello Arguello in the Poland Open, which resulted in all bets being voided. Whilst the inquiry investigation is still undergoing, 28 matches since have been given the all-clear leaving 45 matches yet to be vindicated.