Sports stars are just lying to be winners

Sep 6 2009 by Mike Kelly, Sunday Sun

FROM biting blood capsules to diving, cheating sports stars are in the news again. Is it on the increase and why do they do it? To win is too simplistic an answer according to one expert. Mike Kelly reports.

JUDGING by the fall out from the so-called “bloodgate” scandal involving Harlequins rugby union club, it seems physios don’t just do their shopping at medical suppliers but joke shops as well.

The physio from the Premier League club would go to a novelty shop in Clapham, London, to buy blood capsules for players to chomp on when a timely substitution was needed.

Harlequins were losing 6-5 in the Heineken Cup quarter final with minutes to go when winger Tom Williams was replaced by specialist kicker Nick Evans after suffering a blood injury. Harlequins lost the match - and their credibility - after it was revealed Williams had bitten on a blood capsule. Heads have rolled.

The revelations came at the same time as Arsenal striker Eduardo won a penalty for his team against Celtic in the final European Champions League qualifying round by diving.

And not an Olympics goes by without a drugs scandal. Ben Johnson, Dwayne Chambers and Marion Jones anybody?

According to expert Dr Martin Roderick, sports people share a mindset where they view such things not so much as cheating as “circumventing the rules”.

He said: “We expect our athletes to play by the rules, not to think of strategies to circumvent the rules. They will go to extremes to get an edge.”