Suspension of belief is required to enjoy the spirit of the Olympics

UNFORTUNATELY, enjoyment of the Olympic Games often requires something that one associates with screen or theatrical drama, or fiction: a suspension of disbelief.

Over the years many of the events have been dogged by allegations or proof of cheating by way of the use of performance enhancing drugs. Athletics in particular has suffered from this problem, and not just the infamous 100 metres race in 1988 when Ben Johnson was stripped of his title but five other of the eight finalists are known to have had drug allegations at various times of their career.

Swimming too has featured in the list of shame, most notoriously when Irishwoman Michelle Smith de Bruin performed incredibly in winning four medals at the 1996 Atlanta games, despite having never previously indicated such ability. In 1998 Smith herself deliberately contaminated a surprise drug test, leading to her ban and exit from the sport. She retains her medals — because, as her supporters rightly point out, she never tested positive before 1998 — but she maintains a low profile.