This is a guest post by Norweigian scientist Erik Boye, in which he raises concerns about the imbalance in power in antidoping and how it erodes confidence in the antidoping system
Cycling
The Sun Yang-Mack Horton-FINA affair: Don’t stare too long at the Sun (sorry…)
Sun Yang is the villain of the piece, with two protests creating a dramatic backstory at the World Championships. He is emblamatic of a loss of confidence in the system, but if you looks at only at Sun, the deeper problem may disappear. Here’s why
Can we trust the Tour, Sky and Chris Froome: Le Monde Op-Ed
The French newspaper Le Monde asked me to write an Op-Ed on the 2018 Tour de France, specifically addressing the question “Can we trust Chris Froome and Team Sky”. This is the original, unedited piece that was submitted. It details the history of the Tour, which makes up the canvas onto which the words “Trust me” are written, and explains why that appeal must be accompanied by extraordinary actions to break a cycle that is now decades long. Froome and Sky fall well short of it.
Sudden Cardiac Death in Athletes – a brief overview
Sudden cardiac death is a spectre that looms over sport. When apparently healthy and fit athletes die during sport, it triggers questions and grief. The latest such case is that of Michael Goolaerts, a Belgian pro-cyclist who died during the 2018 Paris-Roubaix. This video provides an overview of the prevalence, possible causes, and challenges facing prevention.
Team Sky and Marginal Games
UKAD sent a scathing letter to British Cycling, outlining a series of improper and sub standard processes and governance issues in the aftermath of their Jiffy Bag Investigation. The letter shatters the illusion of Marginal gains by the most professional, well run team in cycling, while the inaction by UKAD despite all the problems reveals the impotence of anti-doping bodies.