The last Olympics to be held in the Far East were the 1988 Seoul Olympics in South Korea. The infamous iconic image from the games is that of Ben Johnson speeding away to record a time of 9.79 in the 100m men's race. He had left sprinting legends Carl Lewis and Linford Christie for dead, like they were running on horse tranquilisers. Only it was Johnson himself who tested positive for illegal drug use and was consequently disqualified. There have been few greater sporting blasphemies.

In light of this, I applaud the British Olympic Association's decision not to allow Dwain Chambers to compete at the Beijing Olympics. It is possible to sympathise with the sprinter, who was clearly naive at a crucial stage in his career, and appears genuinely remorseful. But the Olympics are responsible for reminding us of the ethics required to be fair to ourselves and fair to others. If Chambers committed an athletic crime worthy of a lifetime ban, he cannot expect to represent himself or his nation at the Olympic Games. The decision was essential for the credibility of athletics.

Thankfully it is unlikely that Chambers would have been a medal contender, even if he may have been a likely finalist. Asafa Powell, Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay should ensure one of the greatest finals in recent memory. I'll be previewing these speedsters in due course.

To find out about Training for Speed, Power and Strength click here
 

Related links:

Speed and Age - how to prevent speed declining with age

Strength Training Program Part 1 - competition preparation