It Could've Been Different For Francis Obikwelu
The first time I was actually concerned about performance enhancing drugs was two years after the 2004 summer Olympics. That particular edition of the Olympics caught my attention after I read an article about how rotten the sporting sector in my country was.
For the 2004 Olympics, a couple of foreign countries fielded athletes who were of Nigerian descent. Does that warrant any noise making of some sort? Definitely not. People can become citizens of other countries by birth or naturalization. However, the case of the 2004 Olympics was peculiar because a lot of the athletes representing other nations had once represented Nigeria at some point.
Why did they ditch the country? Were they not properly catered for? Was their welfare of paramount importance to the people heading the affairs of the National Sports Commission?
A typical example of those guys was Francis Obikwelu. He had represented Nigeria and won medals at the Junior Athletics Championship till 1999. His ability was clear for everyone to see. Suddenly in the year 2000 the news broke that he had now switched to the Portuguese side because when he got injured while representing Nigeria in Sydney, the country neglected him.
He took money out of his pocket to undergo an operation in Canada to sort out a career threatening injury he sustained while on duty for Nigeria. In 2001, he became a Portuguese citizen. That was how we lost a hugely talented sportsman to a willing country. Obikwelu was one of many Nigerians that represented a different badge at the Olympics.
Despite the switch of allegiance, you cannot help but wish a compatriot well. So when I saw he made it to the 100M finals, I was rooting for him. Unfortunately, he lost the gold medal to American speedster Justin Gatlin, settling for a commendable silver medal. That was where it all ended until two years after.
In 2006, Justin Gatlin was nabbed for testing positive to testosterone. When I read it, I was very furious. There were voices in some corners stating he should be stripped of his 2004 Olympic gold medal and Francis Obikwelu upgraded to the first position.
At first it sounded nice to me but then it doesn't. Even if Gatlin's medal was handed to Obikwelu, it's nothing other than ceremonial rubbish. Everyone that watched that race saw the American win, not Obikwelu. The Nigerian man will never get the respect he deserves probably because someone cheated.
So, anyone that uses PEDs is a cheat. It's that simple. And, yes, using those drugs takes away the fact that the person practised all his or her life to be regarded as one of the best. In as much as the world still discriminates against ex-convicts for their past crimes, someone nabbed for purposefully using a PED does not deserve respect for his efforts, no matter how hard the person may have worked all his or her life.
Justin Gatlin was banned for four years and he returned to track and field to compete and win medals. Each time I see him on a race track after that, I never really warm up to him. He looks more like a cheat than a legitimate racer despite his accomplishments. PEDs have no place in sports.
