The International Olympic Committee yesterday announced that Belarusian Nadzeya Ostapchuk, the women’s shot-put champion at the London Olympics, had tested positive to metenolone on August 5 and August…
Offering rewards for medal-winning performances didn’t help Australia’s swimming team.
AAP Image/Dean Lewins
Three weeks before the Olympics, Swimming Australia imposed a new “high-performance” funding model on its swimmers, reportedly to “see medallists rewarded”. The timing made it difficult, even unpatriotic…
Australia’s Olympic Chief John Coates has started a debate about the role of sport in the school curriculum.
School sport image from www.shutterstock.com
Australia’s recent medal performance at the Olympic Games has caused Australia’s Olympic Chief John Coates some concern. Last week, he blamed at least part of the result on a lack of sport in the school…
The flags of 204 nations were on display in London, but do “nations” even exist?
Christophe Karaba/EPA
As I sat there this morning watching the London 2012 closing ceremony, I was impressed by the artistry, choreography, stage-setting (an artistry unto itself), music and the sense of celebration in the…
Seven Cameroonians disappeared this week … but why?
EPA/Dennis M. Sabangan
Every four years, the Olympics brings us plenty of drama on and off the sports field. This year has been no different with seven athletes from Cameroon absconding from the Olympic village and more anticipated…
Coming first is worth celebrating … but not winning gold shouldn’t be commiserated.
EPA/Robert Ghement
The decorated Australian swimmer, Emily Seebohm, climbed out of the pool in tears last week … because she won silver. Through a tear-streaked interview, Seebohm apologised to her parents, her coach, and…
Will the London Olympics lead to increased participation in grassroots sport?
BELAMBRA CLUBS
While competition at the London Olympics only runs for 19 days, the Games are likely to have an impact far beyond this brief period of time. Or so we’re told. In this video Stephen Frawley discusses the…
Feats of athletic brilliance have the power to lift and inspire.
Glacier Tim
The London Olympics and Paralympics have arrived at the perfect time. It’s almost like we need a good dose of sporting inspiration, courage and positivity to help get us back on track. Despite being a…
The value of Olympic medals should be weighted against factors such as national GDP and population.
Welsh Government
The recriminations started early this time around. The Olympic flame was barely fired up before administrators, politicians and pundits alike were weighing in on Australia’s poor performance. John Coates…
No matter how sophisticated testing is, it can’t catch everyone.
EPA/Justin Setterfield
John Fahey, the President of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), promised before the London Olympics that anti-doping testing at Games would employ the latest advancements and would be as rigorous as…
Is it breaking the law to bypass criminally poor broadcasting?
sp3ccylad
Reports of people the world over watching coverage of the Olympics via BBC’s online streaming portal abound. The reasons for this behaviour vary in the detail, but the common feature is: local coverage…
It’s hard to stay at the top forever … especially when everyone else is rapidly improving.
Patrick B Kraemer/EPA
The knives are well and truly out. With no gold medals coming from champion Australian swimmers James Magnussen, Stephanie Rice, Leisel Jones, Jessicah Schipper and a handful of relay teams at the London…
When aiming for Olympic success, it’s important to get many factors right, not just funding.
Gwydion M. Williams
When Naomi Fischer-Rasmussen stepped into the ring to represent Australia in the women’s middleweight boxing category last Sunday afternoon (GMT), she became the first Australian woman to compete in boxing…
Margins may get smaller, but will they ever disappear?
josterpi
Will records keep tumbling as athletes get fitter and technology develops? Or is there a limit to human performance? Kate Murphy investigates. Further viewing: VIDEO: doping, drug testing and the Olympics…
South African athlete Caster Semenya was subject to gender testing following the 2009 athletics world championships.
EPA/Kim Ludbrook
In June, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) stated that some athletes at the London Olympics, though legally female, may be subject to testing to see if their bodies produce an above-average quantity…
Pasta and other carbohydrate-rich foods can boost muscle glycogen stores.
chrismar
During the London Olympics, and beyond, many endurance athletes will attempt to increase their muscle glycogen stores by carbohydrate loading. This is because, despite its importance, glycogen is a fuel…
The tough cross-country course at the London Olympics was the undoing of some of the world’s best event horses and riders last week.
AAP/LOCOG Bob Martin
A horse is a horse is a horse, right? Not so at the Olympics, where the equestrian events are unique among sports. Equestrian is the only discipline in which the human athlete relies on another living…
Running forward is so backward.
Alessandro Pautasso
Backward running is the latest craze to hit the health and fitness world. After the seven-minute mile was recently cracked, advocates are campaigning for its inclusion in the 2020 Olympic Games. So what…
Marianne Vos of the Netherlands takes gold in the London 2012 women’s road race.
Ian Langsdon/EPA
You’ll have noticed the distances ridden by female and male elite cyclists differ in some Olympic events and are identical in others, which raises the obvious question: why? If we really wanted to simplify…
A zero-tolerance approach to doping? “That is pure fantasy …”
Bob Stewart of Victoria University discusses doping, cheating and suggestions that drug testing at London 2012 is the most comprehensive we’ve ever seen at an Olympic Games. Further viewing: VIDEO: why…