Olympic Games

At the Olympics all people regardless of race, age and creed enjoy this awesome spectacle which reveals the capabilities of the human spirit, body and mind, to endure through what most fans consider impossible. Being an equal and level platform for sports, integrity and ethical sportsmanship is the single most important theme of the Olympics. The Olympic spirit is known to date back seven hundred years Before Christ.

Ben Johnson was the pride of the Canadian people and internationally, a critically acclaimed athlete and a successful sprinter. Ben Johnson emerged hero of the Canadian people after winning two bronze medals in the 1984 Olympics. He won many international sprint events and set world records. In the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, he emerged winner of the 100metres men’s final and set a new world record. Three days latter, he tested positive for a banned performance enhancing steroid and was stripped of his gold medal. The Canadian people were devastated by this result so much so Ben’s coach exclaimed saying every one was doing it.

Using banned substances in sports events is unethical ad wrong and as such on an international level tends to have a greater impact on the country whose athlete has tested positive. It is a matter of an athlete and his or her coach initiative to uphold the maxims stipulated by the Olympics’ committee for the promotion of ethical sport development the world over. These performance enhancing substances have long term effects on the athletes who use them. Ben Johnson was so much affected by these side effects that the rest of his career in sports was plagued with injuries.

References

Werthner, P. & Coleman, John. “Sport Psychology Consulting with Canadian Olympic Athletes and Coaches: Values and Ethical Considerations.” Athletic Insight. 2008. 13^th Mar 2011. http://www.athleticinsight.com/Vol10Iss4/Canadian.htm