However in the current climate it’s easy to be dissilusioned about the integrity of sport and athletes. For example, when Asafa Powell conquered the 100m world record a month or so back, my mind immediately question if it was drug-fuelled.. Especially in the light of his failure to defeat Tyson Gay at the world championships only weeks earlier.

In the light of the Davydenko affair, I was suspicious when I heard about this latest allegations involving Russians.. in India. Two countries where the corruption is common currency.

Sunfeast is an off the wall tournament in many ways.

r.burke may I remind you that performance enhancing drug use was not simply practiced by Russian and Eastern European artists, but institutionally endorsed!

It’s a credit to the transparency of sport in American that cheats are exposed. This possibly explains the apparent disproportionality of top American athletes guilty of drug use.

I understand your point. However, in Russia (and in that region) the corruption is systemic. It is everywhere and at every level. I don’t think in the U.S. you can find many parents bribing their middle-school or elementary school couches.

Plus, there have been many reports about Russian athletes and decision-makers involved in Russian mafia.

But I also do realize that it is NOT only a Russian problem.

A prime example would be the people who are now paying more attention to track and field after Marion Jones’ confession of doping.