Apercu of This Sporting Life genus

From gold to silver with the help of steriods

Ethan Switch - Tuesday, August 24, 2004 - 17:45:15 - print it raw

Following on the chalked out footsteps of Greek's weightlifting bronzer, Leonidas Sampanis, the Russian Federation have scored silver in the doping sanctions from the International Olympic Committee. Irina Korzhanenko, 30, winner of the gold in the women's shot put, was stripped of her medal following a positive result for stanozolol (an anabolic steriod) in her system.

The Russian Federation Olympic Committe have been ordered to hand back both the medal and the diploma for the now dubious win. All eyes are on the line to see which athlete from which sport, representing what country will take the final honours of being awarded the bronze in effortless doping.

Read the rest of From gold to silver with the help of steriods

Greek crashes with dual honour, Australians haul mighty

Ethan Switch - Sunday, August 22, 2004 - 23:58:30 - print it raw

Greece, black with fear of having a more than lacklustre Olympics team, has snared a grand feat by way of unexpectedly high raging levels of testosterone. Through the busting veins and shaky wobble of the weightlifting event, Leonidas Sampanis, 32, managed to secure Greece's first medal for the Athens Games in the 62kg division. Now, following a test and subsequent sanction by the International Olympic Committee, Sampanis has also scored the honour of being the first doped up athlete found positive during the Games.

Following a failure to pass an anti-doping test, the IOC has requested his Olympic identity and accreditation be withdrawn. Complementing his bronze win in the weightlifting, Sampanis was given the gold ahead of many other doped up cheats and secures a place as the first athlete of the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad to be stripped of his medal.

Read the rest of Greek crashes with dual honour, Australians haul mighty

Moths in the eyeballs, ticks on column A or column B?

Ethan Switch - Friday, August 20, 2004 - 18:08:08 - print it raw

Once white, Panathinaiko Stadium in Athens is covered now with the smeared blackish remains of many, huge moths dying for a peice of their distracted action. Aggravating the hoardes of athletes and spectactors, the as yet unclassified moths have swarmed in their thousands, causing many of the events to pause more than they who choose to forego a diet half-way enriched with fibre.

Yet, like the bagful of dates—and possibly of prunes—used to expedite the excursion and pain, their presence is drawing many to better times. This instance, coloured by the bogong what fluttered and bothered the many during the Games in Sydney 2000.

Read the rest of Moths in the eyeballs, ticks on column A or column B?

Spirited away keeping the stash for another day

Ethan Switch - Wednesday, August 18, 2004 - 23:49:25 - print it raw

Leading into the Games, nothing but the hardest veins pocked with plasma juiced up and arteries raging on drugs performance enhancing. Day after approaching day, reports on the encroaching and artificially enhanced visitors found out and exposed. A bicyclist here, a weightlifter there, the notice was on and the Greeks were being put out to international drug shame.

Snapping grand, two Greek track stars threw in the fear of voices and mayhem of two wheels, to bring their nation's focus away from the infrastructure back onto the athletes. Crashed at night, days spent in a hospital, rumours turn golden fit.

Read the rest of Spirited away keeping the stash for another day

Fourteenth: The start, the recap, the flashback, the spotted witness

Ethan Switch - Sunday, August 15, 2004 - 23:55:06 - print it raw

Acid trips and the world falls down laughing with the pill. The Games of the XXXVIII Olympiad have started proper with two points of solid exclamation and buckets spewing paranoia and political laterals.

Choreographed to the leading events of the bloodstream, the organisers of the opening ceremony weaved loaded drops of hedonism and hallucinations into scenes artistic. Wild images, strange floating bodies dangling blue from the wired skies, and the nakedness of Greek myth spread-eagled for the buji multi-million viewing global audience. Performance enhancing for some, recreational for others, the candies here are the lollies from the street corners and dancefloors. Take two and plan things in the morning, running faster than you ought to be.

Read the rest of Fourteenth: The start, the recap, the flashback, the spotted witness

Five rings and they call this one bigger than the circus

Ethan Switch - Thursday, August 12, 2004 - 18:03:19 - print it raw

On again for another Olympiad, athletes from around the world and their cashed up relatives, have dug in their heels to partake in the global sporting marvel with a motto adopted by many an illegal backyard pharmacy: Citius. Altius. Fortius. (Faster. Higher. Stronger.)

There is no sense of mystery as to what these muscle wrapped poster children eat for their breakfast. Drugs and dope and a nice sluice of diuretics line their guts like the abusive cattle forking and beefing their meaty hides.

Read the rest of Five rings and they call this one bigger than the circus