‘To gain an advantage over or deprive of something by using unfair
or deceitful methods; to defraud’
A clear succinct definition of ‘cheating’ offered by the Oxford
Dictionary; would a sporting personality offer you the same definition if
questioned? Some would say it’s dependent on the sport in question. Should the
doping revelations of Lance Armstrong be looked upon with the same severity of
other cheats in the sporting arena, a hand ball from Thierry Henry? Most
definitely ‘C’est ne pas juste’ especially in the eyes of the Irish, but would
we categorize Henry in the same band as Armstrong?
Cheating; it has one meaning, one meaning only, and so should be
treated in the same manner across all sports. Cultivating a culture of cheating
whether on the soccer field, or rugby pitch by falsely winning a penalty, or by
utilizing sports enhancing drugs to increase your chances of a win, undoubtedly
demeans sport and, furthermore, it calls into question the credibility of
sports people who chose not to engage in any form of cheating. How many young
people today who once idealised Lance Armstrong, will feel as passionately
about cycling as a sport, as they once did? Has the actions of one man
tarnished this sporting activity permanently? When we see an honest sportsman,
who excels on the basis of pure talent and gruelling training sessions, do we
suspect foul play, possible drug interference? This is the world, a culture of
cheating creates – a world of scepticism, where every apparent foul on the
soccer pitch on Luis Suarez is a mere rouse for a penalty opportunity, where
every cyclist worthy of a Tour De France title must be doping. There is no
place for competitive sport in a world laden with doubt and deception.
Yet cheating across a myriad of sports is not assessed in a
similar fashion, for example, last year, only 21 drug tests were carried out on
professional tennis players, whereas thousands of cyclists were tested for
performance enhancing drugs. Some sports stars have spoken out against testing
authorities, and the fact that they must be present on a daily basis at a specific
hour should they be selected for random drug testing. However, given recent
doping revelations, it is now evident, that if the sports community want to
stamp out cheating, they cannot decry testing authorities.
The severity of treatment resultant of different forms of
cheating is most definitely evident across the sporting world. This is in my
eyes unjust. Given the role, sports people play in society, as mentors to those
wishing to pursue a career in sports, it is integral that those professionals
are ‘cheat free’; from unsavoury tactics on the rugby pitch to the utilisation of
performance enhancing drugs. Otherwise the foundations upon which we chose to partake
are flawed, the future of competitive sport is threatened, and our future
sporting heroes are not heroes at all, but mere cheats in disguise.
To many people, sports are the building blocks for life, built
on strong foundations of integrity, sportsmanship, pride. The testing
authorities must ensure that every sporting activity is regulated against
cheating in the same manner; otherwise, the foundations of sport will ultimately
be crushed.
In sport, cheating has one definition, and in terms of the genre
of sporting activity, one definition should fit all, but unfortunately for the
sporting arena, the definition of cheating in the mentality of sports people
isn’t always akin to that of the trusted Oxford dictionary.
