With Russia in the midst of a drugs scandal following a WADA-published report alleging systematic state sponsored doping, it is clear that the use of banned substances is still very much an issue in professional sports and Russia is far from being alone.
Arguably the most high profile doping scandal in modern sport involved the American cyclist Lance Armstrong. A winner in his year long battle with cancer in 1996 and a seven-time winner in the Tour de France; Armstrong was once the standout star of his sport.
In 2012, following an investigation by the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Armstrong was branded as the instigator of"the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen.” He had been engaging in performance-enhancing drugs over the course of his career, and was stripped of his seven Tour titles in disgrace.
Cyclists have been embroiled in many doping scandals over the years, with the famous Festina affair which surrounded the 1998 Tour de France just one other major example.
The punishment for cheating is severe, and rightly so. An equal playing field in sporting events is essential in the competitive arena, as Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday when speaking about the current doping saga engulfing his country.
"The battle must be open," he said. "A sporting contest is only interesting when it is honest."
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