Road to Rio 2016 - Irish Olympic News

Strazdas wrote: »

I suppose the thing that would put amateur boxers off them is that each fight is only nine minutes long. For sure, you sometimes see a boxer who is knackered and gasping for air in the last round but taking drugs would be a huge risk to try and offset this.

I'm sure the incentive is there. A week or 10 days of a World Champs or Olympics with fights coming thick and fast, probably picking up niggling injuries and fatigue, of course certain drugs are going to help.
No reason either why a boxer wouldn't want to increase muscle, build power or a whole raft of other things either. IN saying that, do I think there are lots of amateur boxers doing PEDs? Probably not. At least I know the Irish guys are pretty rigorously tested. That's not saying a lot these days, but it's something at least.

I don't know about making assumptions anymore. There was a doc on BBC I watched last night in which Tim Montgomery talked about taking EPO. A sprinter taking EPO? Everybody said that was ridiculous!

Oldira wrote: »

Indications are that the issue is recreational rather than performance enhancing. Remember when O'Reilly was sent home from Turkey at the European qualifiers? I wonder are the events linked?

So why on the banned list if they are not PEDs?

walshb wrote: »

So why on the banned list if they are not PEDs?

Most things have been used as PEDs through the years. Coke and opiates certainly have, mdma certainly would have been if it had been around in the pre-testing era.

Strange as it sounds, if you made recreational drugs legal in sport then you would have people straight onto the dealers to take coke and pills to pep themselves up before competition.

Joe_ Public wrote: »

We still don't know the full details of why he was sent home that time from Turkey (or at least I don't anyway). But aren't you making a fairly sweeping judgement there on the basis of one interview? Also assuming his motivation for why he'd be caught taking recreational drugs?

I am not making any generalisation . I just didn't warm to him. Then I heard he was sent home for behavioural issues, and now this. Nothing to do with generalising. I am just not all that surprised. Had I been asked what boxer has been done for doping (recreational) I would have picked him. Now, of course, we are still waiting on more details.

Btw, JJN never impressed me during interviews either. Got the exact same vibe from him, and look at how his career has panned out.

walshb wrote: »

I am not making any generalisation . I just didn't warm to him. Then I heard he was sent home for behavioural issues, and now this. Nothing to do with generalising. I am just not all that surprised. Had I been asked what boxer has been done for doping (recreational) I would have picked him. Now, of course, we are still waiting on more details.

Btw, JJN never impressed me during interviews either. Got the exact same vibe from him, and look at how his career has panned out.

Fair enough. You're entitled to judge lads how you like. I just think without spending time with them it's impossible to know really. Darren Sutherland used always speak highly of JJN, Darren O'Neill too. I think the high performance unit offers these guys great support and protection when they're in it, but obviously when you step outside it into the pro ranks, it's a whole new ball game.

Don't forget Dean Walsh was sent home from Turkey that time too, Ken Egan was disciplined in his time, probably lots of others too. Surprised it doesn't happen more often to be honest.

Joe_ Public wrote: »

Good point. Also worth pointing out that just because a drug is recreational, it doesn't mean it is being taken purely for recreational purposes. WHen Frankie Dettori and Kieren Fallon test postitive for cocaine, it's not because they are party animals and there's a reason cocaine use is rife among jockeys in every country.

Weight loss I presume? Those guys are always struggling with their weight.

Just wondering if we the had the opportunity to have an entry in the Mens Individual Road TT. I know that Nicholas Roche is our current Irish champion so did he decline the chance to enter both the road race and TT in lieu of competing in just the road race or did we not have a spot in the individual TT at all.

flynng wrote: »

Just wondering if we the had the opportunity to have an entry in the Mens Individual Road TT. I know that Nicholas Roche is our current Irish champion so did he decline the chance to enter both the road race and TT in lieu of competing in just the road race or did we not have a spot in the individual TT at all.

We failed to qualify anyone for the TTs.

Road Race section of the cycling competition now done and dusted. Onto the Track now

walshb wrote: »

I am miffed by the MOR incident. What a foolish risk to take if he did take the risk with intention to cheat. What exact advantage was worth that risk?

This MOR debacle has obviously had a serious effect on the boxing team. Three losses in a row and it appears that the boxers who haven't won are not performing to the best of their ability! I cannot understand how a boxer in the HP unit goes and uses a product that he had no information on and does not use the staff to find out if he can use it. Every athlete in that unit/Olympic squad knows and are educated about every molecule that enters their system. Have to agree with you Walshb, it is so so annoying. Feel sorry for the Irish boxers who he denied a chance to fight in Olympic qualifiers and embarrassed to have a Irish athlete sent home.

flynng wrote: »

This MOR debacle has obviously had a serious effect on the boxing team. Three losses in a row and it appears that the boxers who haven't won are not performing to the best of their ability! I cannot understand how a boxer in the HP unit goes and uses a product that he had no information on and does not use the staff to find out if he can use it. Every athlete in that unit/Olympic squad knows and are educated about every molecule that enters their system. Have to agree with you Walshb, it is so so annoying. Feel sorry for the Irish boxers who he denied a chance to fight in Olympic qualifiers and embarrassed to have a Irish athlete sent home.

Why does everybody believe that story. If it was a Turk, Moroccan or Russian you wouldn't. He was likely doping and is making an excuse, like they all do.

It's a fair point. If it was another country's competitor the reaction would be 'drugs cheat', because it's and Irish guy his story is automatically believed and it's seen as a 'stupid mistake'. He's as culpable as anyone who is found to be cheating in my view and has let his country down massively. A drugs cheat is a drugs cheat and that's what he has been proven to be. The messing around with appeals and B samples only makes it worse.

I'm glad the tested them pre-competition.

If he'd won a medal then they could have reassigned it, but you never know what would have happened to the guys he would have knocked out on the way.

love to be a fly on the wall today in Rio

when that pompous twat Shane Ross goes head to head with IOC president Pat Hickey about the ticket fiasco, they'll be some choice words spoken :pac:

Rainman16 wrote: »

Realistically will we get any golds at all in this Olympics?

Was looking at the medal table and was wondering the same thing myself. It isn't looking promising. Boxing- possibly but dare not make any predictions such is the poor performances so far. Sailing- possible to pick up two medals here but again no certainties. Showjumping- after todays performance not likely, will be doing well to make the final. Triathlon and Modern Pentathlon- again anything is possible but our athletes are probably hoping for top 10 finishes as realistic aims rather than medals or golds. Athletics- athletes realistically looking for PB's, despite the the media's optimism for Mageean. Hopefully I'll be proven wrong!