2016 Summer Olympics Rio

[Capt Pat]

Phelps reminds me so so much of lance Armstrong.

What could it be that reminds you of Armstrong? 21 gold medals from one man, that is more than India of one billion people has gained ever and yet nobody questions him.

Then he is back at age 31 to become the oldest ever to win an individual Olympic gold. He might live to regret it a bit like Armstrong did.

[gallsman]

Exactly, as a young lad he smoked a bit of pot and has had some issues with booze and driving. I know Benny thinks the sun shines out of every cyclists arse but drawing a parallel between that and Armstrong's doping?!

[bennydorano]

Play on words on my part. In Kimmage world he's a doper tho, there's no difference. I don't really care tbh.

[nrico2006]

Phelps isn't a convicted doper.

[imtommygunn]

Phelps was caught with a bong once I think. Hardly performance enhancing.

Kimmage deserves some credit for his digging and persistence on Armstrong etc but I doubt he believes there's anyone clean at the olympics and while there are clearly some dopers they aren't all at it.

[bennydorano]

Kimmage and his acolytes find themselves in a position where they can't really vouch for or truly endorse a top class competitive athlete in case they let them down on the PED front. Detached scepticism is the new way. It must be exhausting.

[AZOffaly]

Kimmage and his acolytes find themselves in a position where they can't really vouch for or truly endorse a top class competitive athlete in case they let them down on the PED front. Detached scepticism is the new way. It must be exhausting.

Can you blame them? I'm naive to a certain extent in that I still believe my eyes when it comes to team sports, unless the body shape seems to have unnaturally changed or looks unrealistic (Rugby, American Football, Baseball).  But in these individual sports where either endurance or speed/power play such a huge role, I find myself questioning every one of them. Especially if the achievement seems notable or outstanding. That British Swimmer, Phelps, Bolt. I'd be afraid to be 100% believer in any of them.

[imtommygunn]

The sport *rumoured* to be as bad, and arguably worse, than any other is rugby.

[JimStynes]

The sport *rumoured* to be as bad, and arguably worse, than any other is rugby.

Tennis is up there!

[screenexile]

Kimmage and his acolytes find themselves in a position where they can't really vouch for or truly endorse a top class competitive athlete in case they let them down on the PED front. Detached scepticism is the new way. It must be exhausting.

Can you blame them? I'm naive to a certain extent in that I still believe my eyes when it comes to team sports, unless the body shape seems to have unnaturally changed or looks unrealistic (Rugby, American Football, Baseball).  But in these individual sports where either endurance or speed/power play such a huge role, I find myself questioning every one of them. Especially if the achievement seems notable or outstanding. That British Swimmer, Phelps, Bolt. I'd be afraid to be 100% believer in any of them.

The British swimmer stands out for me as he came from nowhere to having broken the WR a couple of times now.

Phelps and Bolt I really want to believe in and I cling to the fact that they were such special athletes when they were younger that there is a chance they are just naturally gifted and have put the work in.

Aside from that how can 2 lads allegedly clean be so far ahead of the rest who have not been clean?

[tonto1888]

Kimmage and his acolytes find themselves in a position where they can't really vouch for or truly endorse a top class competitive athlete in case they let them down on the PED front. Detached scepticism is the new way. It must be exhausting.

Can you blame them? I'm naive to a certain extent in that I still believe my eyes when it comes to team sports, unless the body shape seems to have unnaturally changed or looks unrealistic (Rugby, American Football, Baseball).  But in these individual sports where either endurance or speed/power play such a huge role, I find myself questioning every one of them. Especially if the achievement seems notable or outstanding. That British Swimmer, Phelps, Bolt. I'd be afraid to be 100% believer in any of them.

The British swimmer stands out for me as he came from nowhere to having broken the WR a couple of times now.

Phelps and Bolt I really want to believe in and I cling to the fact that they were such special athletes when they were younger that there is a chance they are just naturally gifted and have put the work in.

Aside from that how can 2 lads allegedly clean be so far ahead of the rest who have not been clean?

I believe both Phelps and Bolt are clean athletes. That said I believed in Armstrong too but I so badly wanted that fairytale to be true

[bennydorano]

I still believe there's physical freaks. Mark Cavendish is a good example, the training numbers in the youth system always said he was never going to make it, but he continues to excel.

[muppet]

I still believe there's physical freaks. Mark Cavendish is a good example, the training numbers in the youth system always said he was never going to make it, but he continues to excel.

Bolt ran 20.58 for the 200m aged 15 years and 11 months and 20.25 (the Irish record is 20.30) for the 200m and 45.35 (44.77 is the  Irish record) for the 400m , both before he turned 17. Bolt was seen coming a long way off, even by non-Jamaicans such as Michael Johnson.

This is not proof of anything regarding doping, but I'd be more inclined to buy the Bolt story than the Cavendish one.

Having said that, with events over the last few years in Jamaica sadly I am not as convinced as I once was.

[bennydorano]

Never heard a suspiscious or derogatory word mentioned about Cavendish from anyone. (Apart from being a dick sometimes.)

[Dinny Breen]

The sport *rumoured* to be as bad, and arguably worse, than any other is rugby.

It would be particular bad relatively in the amateur side, just look at the club game in Wales, heard lots of stories of young lads having to clean up before they enter the Academies. Pro side wouldn't be at the same level but again you hear rumours about individuals but there would be no doping programs I hope. Rugby promotes a strong gym culture so where there's a gym there is always someone looking to take shortcuts, the GAA is heading down the same road.