Should Usain Bolt Have To Give His Gold Medal Back?

[vortex]

Why not just punish the offender and not the whole team?

http://m.bbc.co.uk/sport/athletics/38744846

[jno]

if diving meant a team was disqualified, they'd do it.

[douglas9401]

Aye, because it's so successful in athletics as we see here.

[jno]

it's taken a while, but it's worked.

[douglas9401]

In what way has it 'worked' if the man's been caught cheating?

[vortex]

I'm sticking to my guns here. The result of the race was not affected by the offending athlete's offence.

In horse racing, stewards can allow a result to stand even if interference is caused to another jockey(s) but the outcome of the race is deemed to have not been affected.

[jno]

sorry, douglas, lost track of the argument a bit, but I said peer pressure should be put on members of the team, by the members of the team. It didn't happen this time, but maybe next time they'll think twice before risking everyone's medals. It's only a shame it's taken so long, but I don't know why that's the case.

[Baldric]

I haven't read all of the thread, but if he was part of a team proved to be cheating then of course he should give it back.

[New Judge]

"They should re-run the games"

Please, no!!! I had enough of it first time round.

[vortex]

Baldric, I realise you haven't read all of the thread but I am asking folk to consider whether, realistically, the result was affected by one athlete's offence?

The answer is categorically 'no'. The team won by a good 10 metres. Nesta went on the opening leg. By the third leg (Bolt) the lead was commanding and was extended by the final runner.

[vortex]

New Judge - LOL

Athletes are affected in different ways through aging. We are talking about 2008 after all!

[douglas9401]

I'm surprised New Judge. You don't get that thrill when watching a man run very fast for ten seconds? :)

[grumpy01]

Wouldn't be surprised if UK cycling team's aren't found out soon.

[murraymints]

there was a grumble with Wiggins

[douglas9401]

Grumpy, even the RC church now has British cyclists inserted between beatification and sainthood. I doubt there'll be any shenanigans this side of the pearly gates. :)

[Bazile]

New judge gets a thrill when a bloke drives a car very fast for 300 or so kilometres :-)

[Bazile]

I can see where you are coming from vortex .

In a lot of racing sports , infringements are often considered and penalties applied if the said infringement had an impact that would have caused the result to be otherwise

[grumpy01]

Let's wait and see Douglas,I think the lid won't be long blowing off.

[jno]

but is that also the case for infringements before the race, Bazile? Accidentally spilling some unobtainium into his feed or something?

[Garaman]

//I am asking folk to consider whether, realistically, the result was affected by one athlete's offence? //

So we are saying that a team won and one of them was cheating, but let the rest of the team keep their medals as they would have won even if the guy wasn't cheating. That seems a dangerous precedent to set to me. I mean how do you know they would have won; the cheater might have been panicking at his slow time and misjudged his baton handover.

[Bazile]

jno - if it's an infringement that is known before the race , then certainly that person/team would not be made to take part.

However , in this case the infringement only came to light years later so a decision has to be made retrospectively , long after the event

What i think vortex is arguing ( which is one opinion ) , is that , in this case , it did not have a determining effect on the final result - so punish the individual and not the other members of the team .