Aussie drugs scandal shows money talks in sport

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare: 'The findings will disgust Australian sports fans'

By Tulsen Tollett BBC Sport presenter and former professional rugby player The line from a Rolling Stones classic immediately sprang to mind last week when the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) released its report into the untoward activities and practices being used in sport down under.

Some sportspeople, no matter how high they climb, or how many trophies they win, just "can't get no satisfaction".

When the federal justice minster and the sports minister front a press conference flanked by the heads of the five major sporting organisations in the country - Australian football, rugby league, rugby union, cricket and football - the alarm bells ring.

Even more so when not an inkling of what is about to unfold has been leaked. Solid work indeed.

The desire to beat the game has always been around, it is just that these days the stakes are so much higher.

When you are talking about an industry worth $9bn (£5.89bn) a year in the country where it is being brought into disrepute alone, then there's concern - because whether you are on the side of criminality or fighting it, the one thing that rings true for both sides is that money talks.

Ask yourself this question. How much knowledge do you have now as a sports fan, compared to five years ago, when it comes to talking about performance enhancers? When you think about it, it truly is scary.

I was lucky enough to play professional rugby league and rugby union in both Australia and England. In the late 1990s Creatine Phosphate  was the new legal-based fad as, in simple terms, it allowed you greater levels of energy for a longer period of time.

But where to go from there, how to improve further? It is a rhetorical question but some may well choose to explore it - and that is when the issues arise.

What is also questionable is how seriously the issue was taken. Every pre-season, dope-testing meetings designed to provide information and a detailed list of what was on the banned substance list were held, with the manual usually left sitting on the floor by about half a dozen people.

Sports people don't just use illegal drugs to try and gain an advantage - growing up in Sydney, Australia, there were rumours of rugby league players in the 1980s wearing ice hockey-style shoulder pads to inflict more pain on the opposition.

So when sports science evolved and professionalism took hold, the want to further the individual, team and code in some form or other would only seem a natural progression.

On the present day situation, let me stress that at this stage no one player or organisation has been found to have definitively cheated.

But given that such a fairly lengthy and covert operation was carried out under the noses of everyone involved, it is fair to say there will be a "fall guy" of some description.

The year-long study by the Australian Crime Commission concluded that

Doping was facilitated by sports scientists, coaches and medical staff Some illegal drugs were distributed by organised crime syndicates Doping discovered across multiple disciplines Which gets me to thinking of people's attitude towards sport in general after what has happened with Lance Armstrong and cycling in recent months.

Of course there is also the ongoing case in Spain involving Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and "Operation Puerto", in which a number of athletes from different sports have been implicated.

Is there a growing apathy towards sports stars and sport in general? It is seemingly difficult for a child to even get an autograph from their sporting heroes these days due to security, club policies and the dreaded "intellectual property rights".

Only recently my family and I spent two years back living in Sydney and I have to admit, the amount of advertising surrounding sports gambling was just incredible. Live television events would be flashing up the odds before a match, half-time and during a match - as well as markets for other games over the weekend.

Spread betting is a part of this abomination but that is an argument for another time.

It was saturation to the highest level and off-putting to say the least, with television and betting agencies trying to give it a glamorous look. And when vast sums of money are at stake, then criminality is bound to be lurking not too far away.

The governing bodies do all they can to keep the unholy trinity of drugs, match-fixing and organised crime out of their codes. But in various parts of the world, sport seems to contain at least one, if not all, of these factors.

Then we have those who believe that doping in sport should be legalised, that it would provide everyone with a fair playing field. Surely it would be a fair playing field if people did not dope? I also then would not have to explain to my kids what steroids, peptides, EPO and HGH, among others, are.

At the start of this article I referred to some athletes not being able to get any satisfaction no matter what they achieve - a point illustrated by a case just last year in horse racing.

Two-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver was suspended for 10 months after admitting the Australian placed a bet on another horse - called Miss Octopussy - in a separate race in October 2010.

Sadly, this whole illegal drugs saga has all the hallmarks of a Bond movie doesn't it?

And the action may be just as hairy over the coming months if the ACC and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority stand firm and weed out the culprits.

View the original article here

Aussie drugs scandal shows money talks in sport

Home Affairs Minister Jason Clare: 'The findings will disgust Australian sports fans'

By Tulsen Tollett BBC Sport presenter and former professional rugby player The line from a Rolling Stones classic immediately sprang to mind last week when the Australian Crime Commission (ACC) released its report into the untoward activities and practices being used in sport down under.

Some sportspeople, no matter how high they climb, or how many trophies they win, just "can't get no satisfaction".

When the federal justice minster and the sports minister front a press conference flanked by the heads of the five major sporting organisations in the country - Australian football, rugby league, rugby union, cricket and football - the alarm bells ring.

Even more so when not an inkling of what is about to unfold has been leaked. Solid work indeed.

The desire to beat the game has always been around, it is just that these days the stakes are so much higher.

When you are talking about an industry worth $9bn (£5.89bn) a year in the country where it is being brought into disrepute alone, then there's concern - because whether you are on the side of criminality or fighting it, the one thing that rings true for both sides is that money talks.

Ask yourself this question. How much knowledge do you have now as a sports fan, compared to five years ago, when it comes to talking about performance enhancers? When you think about it, it truly is scary.

I was lucky enough to play professional rugby league and rugby union in both Australia and England. In the late 1990s Creatine Phosphate  was the new legal-based fad as, in simple terms, it allowed you greater levels of energy for a longer period of time.

But where to go from there, how to improve further? It is a rhetorical question but some may well choose to explore it - and that is when the issues arise.

What is also questionable is how seriously the issue was taken. Every pre-season, dope-testing meetings designed to provide information and a detailed list of what was on the banned substance list were held, with the manual usually left sitting on the floor by about half a dozen people.

Sports people don't just use illegal drugs to try and gain an advantage - growing up in Sydney, Australia, there were rumours of rugby league players in the 1980s wearing ice hockey-style shoulder pads to inflict more pain on the opposition.

So when sports science evolved and professionalism took hold, the want to further the individual, team and code in some form or other would only seem a natural progression.

On the present day situation, let me stress that at this stage no one player or organisation has been found to have definitively cheated.

But given that such a fairly lengthy and covert operation was carried out under the noses of everyone involved, it is fair to say there will be a "fall guy" of some description.

The year-long study by the Australian Crime Commission concluded that

Doping was facilitated by sports scientists, coaches and medical staff Some illegal drugs were distributed by organised crime syndicates Doping discovered across multiple disciplines Which gets me to thinking of people's attitude towards sport in general after what has happened with Lance Armstrong and cycling in recent months.

Of course there is also the ongoing case in Spain involving Dr Eufemiano Fuentes and "Operation Puerto", in which a number of athletes from different sports have been implicated.

Is there a growing apathy towards sports stars and sport in general? It is seemingly difficult for a child to even get an autograph from their sporting heroes these days due to security, club policies and the dreaded "intellectual property rights".

Only recently my family and I spent two years back living in Sydney and I have to admit, the amount of advertising surrounding sports gambling was just incredible. Live television events would be flashing up the odds before a match, half-time and during a match - as well as markets for other games over the weekend.

Spread betting is a part of this abomination but that is an argument for another time.

It was saturation to the highest level and off-putting to say the least, with television and betting agencies trying to give it a glamorous look. And when vast sums of money are at stake, then criminality is bound to be lurking not too far away.

The governing bodies do all they can to keep the unholy trinity of drugs, match-fixing and organised crime out of their codes. But in various parts of the world, sport seems to contain at least one, if not all, of these factors.

Then we have those who believe that doping in sport should be legalised, that it would provide everyone with a fair playing field. Surely it would be a fair playing field if people did not dope? I also then would not have to explain to my kids what steroids, peptides, EPO and HGH, among others, are.

At the start of this article I referred to some athletes not being able to get any satisfaction no matter what they achieve - a point illustrated by a case just last year in horse racing.

Two-time Melbourne Cup-winning jockey Damien Oliver was suspended for 10 months after admitting the Australian placed a bet on another horse - called Miss Octopussy - in a separate race in October 2010.

Sadly, this whole illegal drugs saga has all the hallmarks of a Bond movie doesn't it?

And the action may be just as hairy over the coming months if the ACC and Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority stand firm and weed out the culprits.

View the original article here

Kent prepared for financial loss

Kent chief executive Jamie Clifford has warned that the county are likely to post a loss when they publish their financial results for 2012.

The club made losses of around £50,000 when Tunbridge Wells Cricket Week was washed out last summer.

Clifford told BBC Radio Kent: "It is probably not going to be a pretty set of numbers. We made no secret of the fact 2012 was a difficult year.

"A number of things mean the bottom line number is not going to be great."

He added: "From Tunbridge Wells onwards it was obvious we were going to have a few impacts, therefore the financial results have followed that.

"In addition, we've now got a fantastic ground but we are depreciating that at quite a high level. That has quite a large bearing on the bottom line.

"The financial results have to go through an audit process and that is yet to quite conclude. We are not far off."

“It's about long-term sustainability. We believe we are doing the right things, both on the playing front but off the field as well”

Jamie Clifford Kent CCC chief executive Despite a difficult year, Clifford says he is more interested in the long-term view at the St Lawrence Ground, following investment in training facilities and a focus on developing young players through their academy.

"A lot of our costs are inherent in running a county cricket club," he continued.

"There is no quick fix and there is no point kidding ourselves that we are going to turn things around overnight.

"In terms of investment, there are things we are doing to make sure we continue that flow of home-grown talent. We continue to invest in our cricketers and youth programmes, and support the work of the Kent Cricket Board in developing young players.

"We've developed Polo Farm, Canterbury Hockey Club's venue, as a training ground for professionals as well as academy players.

"We've invested a six-figure sum there in practice facilities - grass nets, artificial nets as well as middle facilities. A lot of what we are doing is setting up for the long-term.

"The infrastructure and facilities we have got at Canterbury - the floodlights and improved conferencing facilities - as well as our cricket improvements such as our training ground, help set us up for the long term.

"It's not about a quick fix or chucking money at an overseas player and hoping you win a trophy. It's long-term sustainability. I think that's kind of where we are in our story.

"We're excited about what we have got so far and we believe we are doing the right things, both on the playing front in developing young players but off the field as well.

"I hope it will lead us to a place of strength and back to where we think we should be."

View the original article here

2013 Super Bowl: Wisdom and Experience over Youth and Talent

It seemed that the Young and Restless had everything? happening over the Old and Listless going into the 2013 Super Bowl or, more formally Super Bowl XLVII.

The San Francisco 49ers had tatooed quarterback Colin Kaepernick on a hot streak. The Baltimore Ravens had linebacker Ray Lewis going out on his retirement party.

There were fireworks aplenty in New Orleans last night and the youngsters did indeed put on a show. Kaepernick put up some good numbers in a 34-31 losing effort and Ravens' quarterback Joe Flacco had a super game, winning MVP honors.

But, when crunch time came, it was Baltimore's veterans who staved off defeat and handed the Ravens their second Lombardi Trophy, one more than the old Colts could manage for the city. Read all about it here.

- Getty Images

View the original article here

Shrubsole salutes perfect England

By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport in Cuttack Anya Shrubsole says the seven-wicket victory over South Africa in Cuttack was a "perfect day" for England.

Shrubsole took 5-17 as the Proteas were bowled out for 77, with England then reaching the target inside 10 overs to keep their World Cup defence alive.

"We wanted to come out here, bowl first, get South Africa out for as little as possible then knock them off as quickly as we could," 21-year-old Shrubsole told BBC Sport.

"It was a perfect day for the team."

Defeat in Cuttack would have sent England out of the tournament and, even though they registered a comfortable victory over the Proteas, Charlotte Edwards's side still face a struggle to earn the right to meet Australia in the final.

England must beat New Zealand on Wednesday, with the defending champions waiting on the result of Monday's match between the Kiwis and West Indies before finding out exactly what is required of them.

If West Indies win, England need Australia to beat the Caribbean team in their final Super Six match. A New Zealand victory leaves England needing to beat the Kiwis by such a margin that their net run-rate improves past that of the Black Caps and West Indies.

"There's been calculations flying around," added Somerset seamer Shrubsole. "But most of all we know we needed to come here and win well.

"We're really pleased to have done that so we can now look forward to the New Zealand game. Once the New Zealand-West Indies game has been played we'll be in a better position to see what we need to do against New Zealand.

"But New Zealand are one of the best teams in the world, so we know we'll have to put in a performance similar to what we have done today."

One concern for England is the form of wicketkeeper Sarah Taylor.

Taylor made headlines before the tournament with talk of a possible switch to men's cricket, but, after two successive first-ball ducks, she again failed to get off the mark against South Africa.

"I don't think she's been fazed by that [the potential switch to the men's game]," said Kent batter Lydia Greenway, who made an unbeaten 25 to see England over the line in Cuttack. "She's the type of player to just get on with things.

"She's a world-class player, one of the best batters in the world. You don't become a bad player overnight and I'm sure there's a big innings around the corner for her.

"She's got a good head on her shoulders and I'm sure she'll just be worried about making sure we perform well in the rest of this World Cup."

View the original article here

Morgan doubtful for second T20

Venue: HamiltonDate: Tuesday 12 FebruaryStart time: 06:00 GMTCoverage: Ball-by-ball Test Match Special commentary on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra, BBC Radio 4 LW & via BBC Sport website; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & mobile devices

Batsman Eoin Morgan will have a late fitness test ahead of England's second Twenty20 international against New Zealand in Hamilton on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old, who scored 46 in England's victory over the Kiwis on Saturday, has jarred his back and missed practice on Monday.

Bowler Jade Dernbach will be fit after injuring his arm during field drills, with Joe Root likely to replace Morgan.

9 Feb: 1st T20 - England won by 40 runs

12 Feb: 2nd T20, Hamilton

15 Feb: 3rd T20, Wellington

17 Feb: 1st ODI, Hamilton

20 Feb: 2nd ODI, Napier

23 Feb: 3rd ODI, Auckland

5 March: 1st Test, Dunedin

13 March: 2nd Test, Wellington

21 March: 3rd Test, Auckland

New Zealand welcome Ian Butler and Grant Elliott back from injury.

Morgan is England's highest ranked T20 batsman - the Middlesex man is rated as the ninth-best in the world by the ICC  - and he has scored more than 850 runs at an average of 37.3 in his 33 matches.

His absence would be a big loss for England, who dominated the first T20 international - their 214-7 becoming their highest score in the format before captain Stuart Broad took 4-24 as New Zealand finished on 174-9.

The tourists can ensure victory in the three-match series if they can win in Hamilton, and Yorkshire batsman Jonny Bairstow, who scored 38 from just 22 balls in Auckland, is hoping to continue the momentum.

"To spend some time in the middle was really pleasing and I was pleased with the way I struck the ball," said the 23-year-old, who helped Morgan put on 81 in seven overs at Eden Park.

"We were really pleased with the performance we put in. Everyone contributed, in all three disciplines."

New Zealand were outclassed in the first match and middle-order batsman Colin Munro accepts they got their tactics wrong.

"Obviously Saturday was disappointing - we weren't up to scratch," Munro said. "We had plans to drop the ball a little bit shorter and let them hit to the bigger boundary, but we were quite full and floaty - so we played into England's hands to hit the short, straight boundaries.

"Our lengths weren't right and dropping five catches didn't help. That's not going to happen again."

View the original article here

Australia reach World Cup final

Women's World Cup, Super Six, Mumbai (Brabourne Stadium):

Australia 132-1 (22.2 overs) beat Sri Lanka 131 (45.2 overs) by nine wickets

Australia reached the final of the Women's World Cup with a nine-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Mumbai.

Jodie Fields's side, who have won all five of their matches in the competition, reached the final, to be held on 17 February, with a game to spare in the Super Six stage.

Erin Osborne took 3-9 while Megan Schutt and Lisa Sthalekar picked up two wickets in Sri Lanka's 131 all out.

Rachael Haynes then smashed an unbeaten 71 as the Aussies raced to victory.

It means the Southern Stars are certain to qualify for the final in Mumbai ahead of their final Super Six game against West Indies on Wednesday.

Defending champions England, New Zealand and West Indies are the three sides still in contention to join the Aussies in the final.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka are eliminated from contention and look set to face South Africa in the fifth/sixth place play-off on Friday, no matter what the result is when the two sides meet on Wednesday.

England, who beat South Africa by seven wickets on Sunday, must beat New Zealand in their final match on Wednesday to have any chance of defending their title against the Aussies.

View the original article here