Cheating in Sport

Cheating in Sport was the subject of a talk given by member Gordon MacKenzie.

Gordon highlighted several instances of cheating starting off with the Chicago White Sox Major League Baseball game fixing scandal of 1919.

Lance Armstrong, winner of the Tour de France on seven occasions, eventually admitted to having taken performance-enhancing drugs having denied accusations for years.

East Germany was involved in institutional doping of its athletes. Years later, a number of sportsmen and women successfully sued the pharmaceutical company involved over health issues.

Russia, too, was involved in state-sponsored drug use and was banned from competing at two Olympics.

Gordon gave examples of cheating in cricket where in 2010 some Pakistan team members were found guilty spot-fixing betting scandal. This resulted in several players given bans of up to 10 years as well as prison sentences.

Then there was the more recent Australian cricket “sandpapergate” affair which led to bans for three players accused of ball tampering.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson was famously banned for using steroids including at Olympics final in Seoul in 1988. There have been scores of other athletes found guilty of being drug cheats.

Rugby, too, had the “bloodgate” cheating scandal involving Harlequins players.

Gordon posed the question over whether the use of team orders in F1 motor racing was a form of cheating.

In professional football, was faking injuries or diving by forwards in the penalty area, a type of cheating?

Gordon said he had some sympathy for Scottish skier Alain Baxter who was stripped of a medal after he inadvertently used an US Vic’s inhaler which contained a banned substance while the British type he usually used did not have that ingredient.

Gordon mentioned several well-known stories concerning professional golfers who had been banned after being found to have cheated. Some faced very hefty penalties while some appeared to have got off lightly for rules violations.

He recounted how in the 1930s Bobby Jones was praised for his sportsmanship and integrity after he had called a foul on himself for accidentally moving his ball ever so slightly while about to play a shot from the rough.

Why do sports people cheat? Gordon said he thought that sometimes there was a winning at all costs approach with large amounts of prize money at stake. There was great pressure from coaches, parents and companies.

There was maybe also a low risk of getting caught and a lack of strong punishments for offenders.

Gordon suggested it was important to instil in youngsters the importance of etiquette and integrity in sport.

A lively discussion followed Gordon’s stimulating talk with other members recalling instances of professional sports people playing loose with the rules and regulations.

George Macintosh proposed a vote of thanks.