http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/more_sport/article6732613.ece
I'm a purist when it comes to sport and I think athletes and sportsmen should achieve wins in their sport on natural ability and merits without performance enhancements - especially illegal ones.
In that regard I agree with Michael Phelp's (USA) protest at the new bodysuit being worn at the current World Championships in Rome by some swimmers who admit that it is the suit that is allowing them to break world records, including Phelp's 200m record broken by Paul Biedermann (Germany) who wore a new full body swimsuit that Fina will ban next year but not this year. So I appreciate the Phelp's protest and the bizzare contradiction by FINA is saying something is illegal in 2010 but not in 2009??? - weird!!!
However I also think that there is a case of Phelp's doth protest too much in that he achieved his swim records wearing performance enhancing leggings that were not available to swimmers in the 1980's or 1930's for that matter. Indeed today, athletes have footwear, dietary suppliments, etc that enhance their performance at Olympics, etc that Olympians did not have decades or centuries ago and so it makes it hard to compare true physical ability and performance between the generations.
I just wonder if Phelp's is being a little bit of a spoil sport in that PE clothing beat him in the 200m swim and beat his record, and he's crying foul and threatening a boycott of the remainder of the WC, but didn't he have his performance enhanced by special swim leggings which didn't but could have brought protests from the swimmers who simply wore the traditional speedo's. :-|
I'm a purist when it comes to sport and I think athletes and sportsmen should achieve wins in their sport on natural ability and merits without performance enhancements - especially illegal ones.
In that regard I agree with Michael Phelp's (USA) protest at the new bodysuit being worn at the current World Championships in Rome by some swimmers who admit that it is the suit that is allowing them to break world records, including Phelp's 200m record broken by Paul Biedermann (Germany) who wore a new full body swimsuit that Fina will ban next year but not this year. So I appreciate the Phelp's protest and the bizzare contradiction by FINA is saying something is illegal in 2010 but not in 2009??? - weird!!!
However I also think that there is a case of Phelp's doth protest too much in that he achieved his swim records wearing performance enhancing leggings that were not available to swimmers in the 1980's or 1930's for that matter. Indeed today, athletes have footwear, dietary suppliments, etc that enhance their performance at Olympics, etc that Olympians did not have decades or centuries ago and so it makes it hard to compare true physical ability and performance between the generations.
I just wonder if Phelp's is being a little bit of a spoil sport in that PE clothing beat him in the 200m swim and beat his record, and he's crying foul and threatening a boycott of the remainder of the WC, but didn't he have his performance enhanced by special swim leggings which didn't but could have brought protests from the swimmers who simply wore the traditional speedo's. :-|
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