'To Bless All Mankind' February 26, 2018 Issue

Olympic-class athletes find their voice of integrity

The Monitor’s Editorial Board

A version of this article was published in The Christian Science Monitor, December 6, 2017.

Many Olympic athletes, of course, exhibit the finest qualities of sports, such as excellence, discipline, and teamwork. But lately they have also showed immense integrity. For instance, top athletes around the world were a leading force behind the December 5, 2017, decision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to ban Russia from this month’s Winter Games in South Korea over its state-sponsored doping program in the 2014 Winter Olympics.

“The voices of the clean athletes have been heard,” declared a committee of athletes at the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) after the decision.

For several years, athletes have taken part in grass-roots movements demanding that the Olympics stay true to their ethical values, especially fairness to fellow competitors and a respect for natural abilities over doped-up performances.

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