The Truth Nobody Wants to Hear

Published in der Tagesspiegel
(Germany) on 19 January 2013
by Christian Hönicke (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Ron Argentati. Edited by .

Edited by Gillian Palmer

 

Lance Armstrong gave us a little glimpse, but it was a comfortable truth that gives us the welcome illusion of an otherwise squeaky-clean professional sport.

How is it possible that an athlete could inject himself with practically everything he could get his hands on, yet never get caught by the doping control officials? Who discovered he was using? Who got him to start using in the first place? That's something Lance Armstrong didn't reveal in his well-scripted confession. The former cycling hero didn't break the unspoken code of silence among professional sports figures. He did exactly what any unmasked sinner would be expected to do: Admit the sins that could no longer be denied, put the blame on himself and plead for forgiveness. But above all, he named no names. He not only protected his old professional colleagues and business partners who now publicly abandon him in mock indignation, he also protects a practice in sports medicine that isn't limited to cycling alone.

So the greatest doping scandal in history can be consigned to the past as an isolated incident. And isn't that what we want, after all? We love to celebrate new records and exceptional achievements, but who really wants to know what substances were used and which were abused to bring us such rapture? Lance Armstrong gave us a little glimpse, but it was a comfortable truth that gave us the welcome illusion of an otherwise squeaky-clean professional sport.

Until the next isolated incident happens.


Die Wahrheit über den Radsport will keiner hören
von Christian Hönicke
19.01.2013

Lance Armstrong gewährte uns einen kleinen Blick. Doch es ist eine bequeme Wahrheit, die uns die willkommene Illusion vom ansonsten sauberen Spitzensport lässt.


Wie kann ein Sportler, der praktisch alles spritzt, was er kriegen kann, nie bei einer Dopingkontrolle auffallen? Wer hat ihn gedeckt, wer hat ihn ans Doping herangeführt? Lance Armstrong hat darauf in seiner kalkulierten Beichte keine Antworten gegeben. Das unausgesprochene Schweigegelübde im Spitzensport hat auch der frühere Radsportheld nicht gebrochen. Er hat getan, was von ihm als enttarnten Sünder erwartet wurde: gestanden, was nicht mehr zu leugnen war, sich selbst bezichtigt und um Vergebung gebeten. Vor allem aber hat er keine Namen genannt. So schützt er nicht nur alte Weggefährten und Geschäftspartner, die sich nun mit gespielter Empörung öffentlich von ihm abwenden.

Er deckt auch ein Geschäft, in dem die medizinische Nachhilfe dazugehört, nicht nur im Radsport. Auch der größte Dopingskandal der Sportgeschichte wird so als Einzelfall einer vergangenen Ära zu den Akten gelegt werden können. Und wollen wir das nicht auch? Wir bejubeln Rekorde und fantastische Leistungen, aber wer will denn wirklich wissen, welche Mittel gebraucht werden, um uns derart in Verzückung zu versetzen? Armstrong gewährt uns einen kleinen Blick, doch es ist eine bequeme Wahrheit, die uns die Illusion vom ansonsten sauberen Spitzensport lässt. Bis zum nächsten Einzelfall.
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