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How will athletes react to the news that lifetime drug bans might be overturned by the BOA before the Olympics?


BBC website announces today: ‘Former Olympic triple jump champion Jonathan Edwards is happy the British Olympic Association's lifetime ban for drug cheats looks set to be overturned.’
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/17818958
 
Without going into how we as spectators think or feel about this issue, I’m interested in the impact that this issue might have on other competitors – those competing in the sports that the previously banned athletes compete in.

Athlete A:  With a strong sense of right and wrong, Athlete A gets further fired-up and motivated to show the drug cheats that they are better, that they can win clean, expecting their performance to do the talking. This news of allowing, or potentially allowing, the banned athletes back in, is motivating, helping them prepare and perform.

Athlete B:  With a belief that the sports officials, system or the world lets them down, Athlete B becomes angry at the developments. They may either get fired-up and motivated in a positive way, or frustrated, becoming distracted with a negative impact on their preparation.

Athlete C:  With a negative outlook on life, Athlete C believes that things will always go wrong, no matter what they do. The news that the banned drug cheats are being allowed back in leads them to predict that these athletes will either be on drugs still or that they will carry advantages from their last drug cycle into the Games. 

I’d back Athlete A to do the best at the Games.

Victor
Dr Victor Thompson
www.sportspsychologist.com

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