One of the narratives in the wake of Usain Bolt's victory over the twice-banned Justin Gatlin in Sunday's 100 metre final at Beijing is that the Jamaican saved the sport of athletics at a time when it is grappling with doping controversies past and present.
That was something we looked into with The Irish Times' Ian O'Riordan on Off The Ball last night:
One person who is wary of the Bolt saved athletics talk is former Leinster and Ireland rugby international Denis Hickie who wrote into The Irish Times with a point to make.
He wrote: "If Gatlin had not tied up and lost form and momentum in the final few metres of the race, his probable victory would have have shone a powerful spotlight on just how morally bankrupt athletics is as a sport."
He also added a very interesting point about the moral dilemma athletics' world governing body and associated organisations would have had to deal with if events had gone in a different direction on Sunday: "Confronted with Gatlin’s win and coronation as world champion, sponsors and all the sports key stakeholders, including the millions watching the race around the world, would have been forced to ask themselves and the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) a very unpleasant question – what kind of sport allows a twice-banned doper to go on and become its world champion?"
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