Drugs in sport - Chemists or athletes?

THE Olympic movement has struggled to retain credibility and its centrality in the society of world sport but that challenge gets more daunting as each year passes.

Despite a marathon battle with drug cheats, one lost as often as it is won it seems, winning an Olympic gold medal retains a cachet that very few sporting achievements can match.

Yesterday’s announcement by golfer Shane Lowry that he will not go to the Rio games because of the Zika virus threat can hardly be described a hammer blow for the event, which opens in a matter of weeks.