Don't let cheats spoil the moment

The Olympic Games are an extraordinary and uplifting experience for the vast majority of competitors and for the people who are inspired by their feats. However, over recent months many issues have arisen which have given cause for some media to conclude that they can no longer trust what they see at the Games, or the people that are tasked with running them.

 
Not least of these issues has been the appalling revelations of state sponsored doping in Russia and the almost impossible task the International Olympic Committee gave to International Federations requiring them to manufacture a response at short notice.  Cynicism is certainly a fair reaction but there remain very good reasons why we should still watch and take pleasure and pride in the achievements of our athletes.
 
Amongst the most memorable moments of any New Zealand parent’s life are surely the times they spend on the side of a sporting arena watching their children play for the pure exhilaration of it. The environment is not perfect (often the case when parents intervene too much), but it is predominantly one where our youngsters learn to; win and lose, respect others and, importantly, to try their hardest.

These formative experiences first inspire our future Olympians. It is, in essence, the same today as it was for Yvette Williams, Peter Snell and all our great kiwi Olympians.